Dangan Ronpa - Despair's Shopping Center
by Not-Your-Uber-Driver
Summary: "Hope's Peak Shopping Center! The newest mall district brought to you by our prestigous Hope's Peak Academy! Come be a part of our long-awaited grand opening! It's simply to die for!" An SYOC story given new life.
1. Introduction (OLD)

_"WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO THE GRAND OPENING OF **HOPE'S PEAK SHOPPING CENTER**! THE GRAND, NEW SHOPPING MALL DISTRICT BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR VERY OWN **HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY**!_

 _Hope's Peak Shopping Center covers a select city block down the road from our prestigious high school, and brings the great, desirable hope for the future of our nation! The area has dozens, if not hundreds, of shops to suit anybody's hobbies, five-star restaurants from across the globe, and a brilliant selection of areas for all manner of activities!_

 _Everyone is able to attend the grand opening. We hope to see you there!"_

That was all the flyer read. The ad that had been stuffed into a teenager's bulging beret, among the handfuls of change and bills from a large crowd of men, women, and children just a few minutes ago. After reading, he folded the paper and tucked it into a small pocket on the front of his overalls. Sitting on a nearby bench, he placed his hat in his lap, and went to collecting his earnings from his performance, counting the total amount. It wasn't very much, but it was enough to support him for the next few days with meals and a roof over his head.

 _"Hm, a new shopping mall..."_ Thought the boy. _"Well, I suppose a trip there wouldn't hurt. Besides, it's almost time to get lunch."_

The boy deposited his cash into a small pouch, which he then dropped into the same pocket as the advertisement.

 _"Got to get this make up off first."_

He went to work as he grabbed a small kit in the pocket at his hip, opening it up to reveal a palette of white, red, and black face paint, a brush to apply it with, and a small, damp cloth. Looking into a small mirror that came with it, he started to wipe at his face, leaving the well set paint now a messy splotch of color he would later wash off before his next performance.

As was the lifestyle of **Kai Shiguro**.

After cleaning off a daily application of face paint, he clicked the case shut and returned it to his pocket. Standing up from the bench, he looked out into the distance and saw the massive structure of Hope's Peak Academy standing all over the city. And a fair distance beside it, was the equally large building of the recently opened Hope's Peak Shopping Center.

 _"Well, no time like the present."_

It was a twenty minute walk, and once he arrived into the vast, concrete parking lot he was greeted by a massive crowd of would-be patrons. Men, women, and children stood in anticipation behind the large double doors as Kai weaved his way through parked cars to join them. He hadn't seen so many eager people all in one place outside of his street performances.

 _"So...many people."_ He thought to himself as people started to cheer once the glass doors started to slowly open. Once the place became officially open to the public, the crowd started to pour through the entrance, as if a dam busted to let loose a flood of water.

Kai wasn't aware of it, much like the others, but this shopping would change his life, but not for the better...

* * *

 **Hey everyone, it's your friendly neighborhood, inferior TheÜbermenschWriter. If you've checked my recent update to Dangan Ronpa - Cold Blood and Despair, I've cancelled the SYOC due to stress and problems with how I've started the story off. It wasn't something I could give a quick fix, so I took initiative and stopped before it could get worse due to my incompetance.**

 **However, I never meant that I would stop writing (or trying to write) stories. I needed some time to cool off and regain my muse.**

 **With my confidence back, here is my second attempt at a Dangan Ronpa SYOC. If I fail to impress, then...I don't know. Rather not want to worry about screwing it up.**

 **Now, let's get to the rules:**

 **RULES:**

 **1\. Send your character submission to me through PM under the name "Despair's Shopping Center - (Character Name)". Any, if any, sent through reviews will be ignored with no exceptions. You must fill out every required part of the form! Anything with an asterisk (*) is optional.**

 **2\. I will not accept any recycled characters. If your character is recycled from a different story, they will be killed off quickly with no exceptions. He original with your submissions and not be repetitive.**

 **3\. I will accept talents that have been shown in canon, like Artist or Gambler for example. However, make your character unique and not a pure copy of the character that shares the talent of who you're submitting. The only exception to this rule is I will NOT accept any "Ultimate Lucky Student" characters.**

 **4\. This is not a first come, first serve SYOC. The deadline for submissions will be around the end of February to the beginning of March. After the deadline expires, I will pick and choose which submissions make it into this despairful tale.**

 **5\. If you have any questions, ask away and I'll answer to the best of my abilities. I don't bite. :P**

 **[BASIC INFORMATION:]**

Name: (First/Last Name format.)

Nicknames*:

Age: (Characters have to be between 16-18 at least, but I will accept characters slightly older than that.)

Height:

Weight:

Gender: (For the love of Atua have it be either male or female.)

Sexuality*:

Ultimate Talent:

 **[PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:]**

Physical Appearance: (Include skin tone, hair color, eye color, etc.)

Special Features/Characteristics*: (Scars, birthmarks, etc.)

Standard Outfit:

Accessories*:

Pajamas/Sleepwear:

Swimwear: (No skinny dipping.)

 **[MENTALITY:]**

Personality:

Secrets:

Fears:

Likes: (3-5)

Dislikes: (3-5)

 **[HISTORY:]**

Backstory:

Family/People Close to Your Character:

 **[KILLING GAME:]**

Fate: (There are three, Blackened, Victim, or Survivor. Choose which one is most likely and why. Keep in mind that it is not guaranteed if the fate you choose will happen. It's how these work.)

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Body Discovery:

Role in Investigations:

Role in Class Trials:

Accused: (Both Innocent and Guilty.)

Motive to Kill:

Execution: (Either explain what you'd like their execution to be, or a basic idea. If you don't have an idea, simply tell me.)

Free Time Events:

 **[QUOTES:]**

(I would appreciate if you provide a few quotes so I get a good grasp on how they speak.)

 **[OTHER:]**

(If there's anything you think I missed, feel free to put it here!)

* * *

 **Now, because I would hate repeating my mistakes, this roster will only hold 16 characters. I've learned to try not adding more spots because it sounds cool without practice**

 **CURRENT SUBMISSIONS:**

x1 Codebreaker

x1 Mortition

x1 Heiress

x1 Horror Novelist

x1 Pyromaniac

x1 Personal Trainer

x1 Acapella Singer

x1 Pyrotechnician

x1 Shadow Dancer

x1 Gunsmith

x1 Blade Thrower

x1 Police Dick

x1 Art Therapist

x1 Choreographer

x1 Narrator

x1 War Author

x1 Model

x1 Cashier

x9 Females

x9 Males

 **Anyway, that should be all for now. Have a good day you lovely ladies and gentlemen. Ciao!~**


	2. Prologue Part 1 (OLD)

**Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors Part I:**

 **GONG! GONG! GONG!**

Kai's eyes struggled to open as he came to, the chime of an antique grandfather clock booming into his ears. He raised his head, looking down onto the wooden counter top below, with a few drops of drool dotting its smooth surface next to his beret. The clock had finished its sudden wake-up alarm, which kick-started the boy's thought process as he picked up his hat and adjusted it on top of his raven-black hair.

 _"Where...am I?"_ He asked in his head, rubbing the last bit of exhaustion from his hazel eyes, which started to take in his surroundings as his vision cleared.

He was seated in what appeared to be a pawn shop, as he was surrounded by various objects that dated back several hundreds years in the past, along with more recent goods still worth as much. They were on display on thick glass cases. His head had rested next to an electronic cash register, free of dust and grime.

The walls were the color of mahagony with a plush carpet spread across the floor. A large fan was mounted to the ceiling, its wooden blades spinning around in a near-hypnotizing circle.

Kai slowly stood to his feet, nearly tumbling when his legs wobbled underneath. Thankfully he held onto the counter top for support.

 _"How did I get here?"_

Kai didn't have an answer, and once he regained his composure he stepped from behind the counter. The carpet was so soft his feet sank into it. He moved around a small display case with an expensive vase inside it, navigating through the rather large store. While he couldn't figure out why he woke up inside an unattended store, he figured he may as well leave. Chances are he was trespassing, and the last thing he wanted was trouble.

 _"Huh?"_

He was puzzled once he reached the other side, and the shop's entrance and exit.

Well, there would've been an exit to the shop if it was not sealed by a large, metal shutter. He knew these were pulled down to keep intruders out when it was closing time, and raised when it was time to open for business. So why was he staring at it from the inside, and more importantly staring at it with no clue on how to raise it? A large combination padlock, in chains, that needed a five-digit held the shutter, well, shut.

He didn't know the code.

A loud yawn pulled him back to reality, followed by an unfamiliar voice.

"Huh? Is the camera still-"

From behind a jewelry case Kai saw a head pop up, with an expression just as perplexed as he was. At first he looked around the store, but when he made eye with the street performer he softened with a smile and sigh of relief.

"Oh, hello there!" His confusion switched to a sincere smile as he stood to full height. Just as clumsily as Kai had been, he moved from where he woke up, to the boy to introduce himself.

 _"Oh, so I'm not alone. But I don't think I've met him before..."_

Kai replied with a small wave. It was the only thing he could do, all things considered.

"Nice to meet ya! You can call me Kenji Yonezawa. I'm known as the Ultimate Journalist!"

* * *

 **KENJI YONEZAWA**

 **ULTIMATE JOURNALIST**

* * *

Kenji stood fairly tall, with a stocky figure that contrasted with Kai's more lean build. His peach-colored skin was bright and lively, complimenting his face along with a rounded nose, toothy grin, and baby blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds in the light. His chocolate-brown hair was cut short, reaching below two pointed, elvish ears.

He wore a light navy-green sweater vest, with a small pocket holding an array of multicolored pencils. He also wore a pair of dark blue jeans and brown hunting boots that had dried mud caked ul along the sides, like he had been caught in a mud slide. There was a small notepad in his left hand, as well as an ink pen in his right.

Kai nodded slightly as he looked Kenji from head-to-toe. There was a pregnant pause as both stared at each other.

"...Sooo...are you gonna introduce yourself?"

 _"Oof. That's gonna be tricky."_ Kai folded his arms behind his back as he bit his lip.

Then he remembered Kenji was still holding his notepad. Silently he pointed to it.

"Not much of a talker, eh?" The reporter chuckled with a smirk as he handed over the pad and pen. He caught onto the message, which Kai counter a small victory compared to other blunders in the past.

Kai went to work scribbling down a message. Once he was done, he flipped it over so Kenji could read it.

"I'm afraid I can't actually speak to you, so I hope this would be enough. I'm Kai Shiguro, nice to meet you."

"Ultimate Talent?" Kenji asked once he was done, raising a brow.

Kai scratched the back of his head.

He had heard various claims from fans announcing him as the "Ultimate Mime Artist", which was a title given to students accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. However, he never considered himself as such, only somebody that can pull off a good show for a crowd.

"Don't have one?" The reporter handed him the notepad again, and in turn the boy wrote down his response.

"I've always been called the Ultimate Mime Artist by fans of my performances, but I don't think I'm that great."

"Hmm..." Kenji scratched his chin as he read the reply. "Well, I'm gonna call you the Ultimate Mime Artist! Nice to meet ya, Kai Shiguro!"

* * *

 **KAI SHIGURO**

 **'ULTIMATE MIME ARTIST'**

* * *

Kai gave a mild shrug. _"That's fine, I guess..."_

The mime went to return the pen and paper, but found that Kenji declined. "You can keep that, Kai. After all, since you're not able to speak you're gonna need a way to communicate. Plus, I can always pick up another. Nothing stops me from getting the word out to the public!" He triumphantly pumped a fist into the air with a confident smile.

Kai couldn't help but smile at the reporters optimism. But it faltered once he came to reality as he remembered the fact that the two were still locked inside a pawn shop with no idea on how to get out.

Kenji seemed to notice this.

"Guess we're still in a pickle, huh?" He chuckled bashfully. "All we gotta do is find the code, right?" As the reporter bent down to inspect the lock, Kai looked at the page he had answered Kenji's questions with, and how small the paper was. Listening to Kenji input random codes into the lock with no success, he started counting the number of pages he had.

 _"40...41...42...43...Huh?"_

The next page had five numbers written into it with big, sloppy handwriting.

 _"1. 1. 0. 3. 7. Do not forget this."_

"Shoot!" Kenji barked as his next attempt at busting the lock failed. Kai looked down at the message written on paper.

 _"How did this get here?"_

Despite how strange it was, Kai tapped the reporter's shoulder. "What?" He responded with a hint of frustration in his tone. "S-Sorry. What was it you wanted to show me?

The mime showed him the message.

"11037?" Kenji scratched the back of his head, glancing over the numbers, then to the lock, and then back up at Kai. "Hm..."

Picking up the lock, he slowly inserted the numbers, muttering each one to himself.

Click.

After scrolling to the seven on the final wheel, the lock clicked open.

"Hey, it worked!" Kenji cheered as he removed the combination lock from the chains holding the bar in place. Once he grabbed the bar, he slowly started to lift the shutter, which revealed the other side inch by inch. Even with the reported cheering that they could leave, Kai couldn't help but wonder...

 _"What was the code doing in Kenji's notepad?"_

* * *

 **So here's a little part of what is going to be our story's prologue, and with it the introduction to our first Ultimate excluding Kai. Let me know what you guys think, I'd love to hear your feedback. :)**

 **Of course, submissions are still open for this story until the end of February. So if you'd like to submit your own character to this story, check out the rules to this SYOC before sending me a PM.**

 **Have a good day, everyone. Ciao!~**


	3. Prologue Part 2 (OLD)

**Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors Part II:**

Hope's Peak Shopping Center.

It had come right back to Kai's memory once he found the crumpled up advertisement in his pocket. He had remembered coming to this place, solely for a lunch break. But everything that lead up to him waking up with Kenji, who he also couldn't quite recall, inside the pawn shop was a complete mystery. Trying to figure out what had happened left the mime artist with a minor headache and no answer to his question.

So instead, he spent time listening to the Ultimate Journalist ramble on and on as they moved down a large and wide pathway.

"Wow, Hope's Peak Shopping Center..." Kenji clapped his hands together, eyes glittering like stones as if he was a kid in a candy store. "It looks as magnificent as the high school funding it! Super stoked to get an article on this place!" The journalist started to take a pen and scribble a mess of words onto his palm in bright purple ink.

Kai arched a brow.

"Huh? Something wrong?" Kenji looked to Kai, before back down at his hand. "Oh, you're looking at my hand! I figured that since you'll be needing my notepad I may as well just use my hand to write my notes down on." He raised his hands bashfully as the boy tried, for the second time, to return his notepad. "It's fine, really! I do this from time to time if I run out of paper. Besides, you'll make better use of it, and I can just find another while we're here."

 _'Stubborn, but I will admit he's alright',_ Kai thought to himself as he turned his head to the left, staring at the occasional shops lining the walls. Much like the pawn shop, they were blocked off with metal shutters, so he figured they were currently inaccessible. Up ahead he could see what he could only guess was the center of the area, since there were other hallways branching off of it.

However, there was one question gnawing at his gut. ' _Why is this place so empty...?'_

"Hey, you alright dude?"

Kai was snapped out of his thoughts to Kenji waving his hand, the one he hadn't written on, in front of his face.

"You looked lost in space for a second there. Something on your mind?"

Kai grabbed his pen and paper.

"Why does this place look so deserted? Where is everyone?" He wrote down and showed to the journalist.

Now it was Kenji's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I thought we were just very early? Ya know, since the shops are all blocked off?" Then he pointed towards the closest shop, a sporting goods store, shutter and all. It was neighboring a men's restroom.

 _'Wait,'_ Kai thought otherwise, remembering there being a massive crowd of people when he arrived. They couldn't be so early to the point where everyone else wasn't here, because Kai didn't show up alone like Kenji was implying they had. _...it's just not adding up..._

Kenji must have noticed the grimace that grew on Kai's face, and scratched the back of his head. "I know it probably doesn't make much sense, but don't shoot the messenger here. I'm just trying to come up with something. Besides, I'm sure if we look around we're bound to find someone here, ya know?"

 **BANG!**

As if on cue, there was a sudden knock on the shutter behind them.

"Uwah?!" Kenji nearly leaped out of his skin as he launched himself backwards, startled by the noise.

"Hello, is someone out there?" Spoke a voice, a boy's, on the other side. "C-Could you let me out? Please?"

"I, uuuuhhhh..." Kenji looked at the shutter, clapping a hand to the back of his neck as a nervous sweat broke out.

 _If that's the hand he wrote on, his neck's gonna be so blue..._

"There's some padlock in here, but I don't know the combination..." The boy stated. Both Kai and Kenji could hear the slight clinking of metal on metal as the padlock bumped against the chain. _Combination,_ Kai scratched his chin as he flipped back to the page of the notepad where he found that certain number combination. ' _11037.'_

"Hey, Kai." Kenji turned back with a whisper. "What about that '11037' thingy?"

 _'He must've had the same idea.'_

With a nod of approval from the mime, Kenji turned back. "Hey, could you try the numbers '11037?'"

"11037? Um, sure, I'll try..."

There was a small rustle as the source of the voice fumbled with the padlock, and a small cheer as the lock hit the floor. With that the chain was also removed and the shutter was raised, and the boy on the other side walked out with a grin on his face. Almost instantly he had grabbed Kenji by the hand and pulled him in a half-hug, slapping the journalist on the back.

"Thanks a lot there, dude! I kinda woke up locked in here, but I'm glad ya came by to help out!" The boy beamed.

"Ah, well you're fairly welcome. My friend and I woke up in the same situation. It makes me wonder how many more are like this." Kenji nodded, looking down and around at the other locked shops. "Fortunately we have the combination, all thanks to Kai Shiguro!" He presented him like he was a priceless artifact.

"I didn't write it down, though. It was in your notepad where I found it." Kai wrote down, shoulders raised in a shrug.

"Well, regardless, it's great we have that." Kenji chuckled. "Anyway, you are?"

"Oh, are we doing introductions? Alright!" The boy placed his hands on his hips. "I'm Shun Tetsudai! I'm the libero for my high school team! Oh, and the Ultimate Libero, 'cuz that might be really relevant to our situation."

* * *

 **SHUN TETSUDAI**

 **ULTIMATE LIBERO**

* * *

Shun was a noticeably shorter boy compared to both Kai and Kenji by a few inches, with a lightly muscular frame and rounded face to boot. He looked more like a small child opposed to a high school student deserving to be called an Ultimate. Two bright, orange eyes looked at them. There was a single bandage across the bridge of his nose, and several around his fingers. His short, brown hair was pulled up in a duck-tailed style.

His outfit consisted of a plain white t-shirt, with orange and blue arrows crossing over diagonally across it, above a black long-sleeved undershirt. In addition, he wore a pair of black exercise shorts over matching sports tights, and orange sneakers.

"No way..." Kenji's eyes slowly widened, glittering like diamonds under the light of the brightest star imaginable. "THE Shun Tetsudai? I am seriously meeting the Ultimate Libero, for real?!"

"Woah!" In a heartbeat Shun's hand was firmly grasped by the Ultimate Journalist, shaking it a million miles a minute.

"It's super nice to meet you! I'm Kenji Yonezawa, Ultimate Journalist! Oh man, this is great! I NEED to get an inside scoop of you when you have the time! You have no idea how much I've been wanting to interview someone as great as Shun Tetsudai!"

The boy had let out a rapid barrage of statements that Kai found difficult to track. At the rate he was shaking Shun's hand it looked like it would pop off at any moment. It was only when Shun started to pull on his arm that Kenji let go, still as visibly eager as ever.

"Ah, thanks for the compliments, dude." Shun chuckled bashfully, scratching his cheek with a slight pink glow to his cheek. "And I'd be down for an interview once we get time to!" He gave a toothy grin and flashed a hearty thumbs-up.

Kai rubbed the heel of his shoe into the tiled floor beneath him. _'Feeling a little left out over here..._ _'_

The sports student seemed to notice the mime artist. "Ah, I believe Kenji said you were Kai Shiguro, correct? Talent?"

Kai fumbled a bit with his notepad as he etched down a response. The page was becoming clustered with all the writing's he has been doing. "I'm afraid I don't really have an Ultimate Talent. But I am a mime artist."

"Hm..." Shun cupped his chin as he read Kai's message.

Kenji laughed a bit, with a shake of his head showing doubt in what the boy had written down. "Say it all you want, I'm certain you could be the Ultimate Mime Artist!" He then playfully punched his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure that given the chance Hope's Peak would scout you for sure! I mean, we are in Hope's Peak Shopping Center, so I say this could be the time you show the world what you're made of!" Shun agreed.

Kai's cheeks blushed a soft red.

"We should be looking for any others here, right?"

The realization must have hit Kenji like a ton of bricks, as his smile faltered to a straight line. "Oooh, right..." He tugged his collar. "We really should get to that, shouldn't we...?"

"D'you need any help?" The libero asked. "I'm good at lotsa things! Mostly dodging, receiving, avoiding bullies, not faceplanting, not bumping into people, choosing the right types of bandaids…" And then he started to ramble, listing more miscellaneous special skills he had as he counted them on his bandaged fingers. "After all, we are friends right? Right?... 'Course we are! ...Right?"

Kenji chuckled. "Of course. Let's go!"

 _'Well, may as well get a move on...'_

* * *

At the end of the massive corridor was a large food court, an octagonal room of various small restaurants and eateries surrounding a plentiful array of tables and chairs. In the closest corners were a men's and women's restroom, while three more equally large pathways stretched out from opposite sides to other parts of the building. There was also a glorious stone fountain in the center. A stone statue of a siren was pumping crystal-clear water into its chiseled basin.

But what drew the most attention was the large skylight in the center. Or at least, what looked like one.

Where large glass windows that would allowed light to shine brightly on patrons as they ate their meals was sealed behind a thick metal plate, held firmly in place with large nuts and bolts.

"That's...not a pretty sight to see..." Shun said as all three boys looked up at the seal.

"Hm..." Kenji hummed to himself, once again covering his hand in notes with his ink pen. Kai peered over the journalist's shoulder. His whole palm was covered in blue writing, so much so he had moved down to his wrist and across his own forearm.

And then came another attempt to return the notepad he was given. _'If this keeps up his body will be painted blue.'_

"Huh? Come on, Kai. I said you could keep it." He slowly pushed away the hand offering the paper to him. The boy's eyes squinted, and he instead pressed the paper into the Ultimate's chest.

 _'Take it.'_

"Alright, fine. If you're insisting so much." Kenji puffed out his cheeks with a huff as he took the notepad, and then opted to write onto the pages rather than his own skin. Kai smiled a bit.

"Hey." He heard Shun call out to him, and he turned to see the libero staring at him. "If it's alright to ask...why are you so quiet? N-Not that I mean harm in asking, 'cuz I'm just curious is all. Is it, like, staying in character, being a mime artist and all?"

Kai bit his lip as he looked down at the smaller boy. Now realizing he gave away the notepad to Kenji, who was now investigating the shops while furiously scribbling down onto the pages. He rubbed the back of his neck. _'How do I put this...? Not like I could actually TELL him.'_

"Oh, it's fine if ya don't wanna tell me, Kai. I understand completely, and it isn't my business to pry into." Shun seemed to read his expression, and only let out a nervous chuckle as a small bit of sweat beaded on his forehead. "Sorry about that."

 **BANG!**

Everyone jumped as the unmistakable sound of fist against metal echoed across the room.

"What the fuck?!"

 **BANG!**

 **BANG!**

Kenji sprung into action, running up to the source, an ice cream parlor. "Hello?" He looked afraid to ask, given the rather aggressive tone of the voice on the other side. "Um, do you need help?"

"No, I'd love to stay locked up here." Then came a sarcastic comment. "Of course I need help out, dumbass!"

"E-Eep! A-Alright!" Kenji's hand shook as he nearly dropped his notepad. "T-The number combination is 11037."

There was an awkward silence, the only noise being the rattling of chains as the number was put into the combination lock, followed by the shutter being lifted from the floor, revealing the boy trapped behind it. His eyes were glaring daggers at the three other boys, now all focused on him.

"What? What the hell you looking at, huh?!" He snapped, arms crossed over his chest.

"Um, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Shun suggested, feeling as if he may have made a mistake in asking.

"What's in it for me?"

"Huh?"

"It's called equivalent exchange." He said. "I give you information and return, you must give me something back. Is that not how life works?"

 _'Didn't we just help you out of being locked inside that shop?'_ Kai scratched his head in confusion.

"Tut tut. What a disrespectful little punk." Came a female voice from behind the mime artist.

"Huh?! Who the hell said that?!"

"Me, silly!" All eyes were now on the female figure who stepped down from the fountain, wearing a playful, innocent smirk on her face. "These three boys help you from being trapped by the enemy, and all you have is negativity? Can't even introduce yourself. How sad." She made small 'tsk' sounds, shaking her head with her hands on her hips.

The boy gritted his teeth, face cross with annoyance as he stared at the newcomer. He scoffed as he turned to the side. "Kei Fukai, Ultimate Hawker."

* * *

 **KEI FUKAI**

 **ULTIMATE HAWKER**

* * *

Kei was taller than Shun, but still shorter than both Kai and Kenji. He seemed to match Shun's small, child-like physique with his thin, mildly muscled frame and rounded face. Electric blue eyes rolled at eye contact with any of the other four as his hands scratched at his head of messy, dark grey hair. There was also a distinct mole at the left side corner of his chapped lips.

Kei wore a black, hooded sports jacket over an average red-collared short sleeved shirt. His lower half was dressed in matching exercise pants and a pair of dark-colored running shoes. There was a leather belt bag around his waist. On his left wrist he wore an antique watch, and on the right a golden bracelet with a noticable heart charm. Both of his ears were pierced, with simple hoop earrings with a silver coloring.

 _'Something about that name seems familiar...'_ Kai looked at his shoes in thought, trying to wonder where he had heard that name before. _'I think I may have bought something from him before...'_

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" The girl teased with a half-mocking, half-cheerful tone in her voice.

"Oh, you little..." Kei growled, making his rather long canines stand out.

"Hee hee, such a stubborn brute. Rude, too." She giggled, batting her lashes at him.

"Tch, whatever. I'm out of here..." The hawker huffed as he prepared to storm off, marching off towards the closest corridor.

"You don't want to come with us?" Shun asked.

Kei looked over his shoulder. "You want me to join you? What's in it for me? Are you gonna give me money? Information? If not, get out of my face." He then continued, vanishing from eyesight in just a single minute.

"Jeez, what a jerk..." The volleyball player sighed.

"Oh don't worry about him. You three need to think more positively, so don't dwell on people like that." The girl dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand.

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves, have we?" Kenji was quick to change topics away from Kei, now intent on the girl as he scribbled in his notebook. "I'm Kenji Yonezawa, the Ultimate Journalist." A quick peek over his shoulder showed that he was listing the names of all he's currently met, Kai included.

"Shun Tetsudai, the Ultimate Libero!"

The girl bowed courteously. "Yaya Kyūyū. I'm the Ultimate Grandmaster. Charmed, I'm sure!"

* * *

 **YAYA KYŪYŪ**

 **ULTIMATE GRANDMASTER**

* * *

Yaya was a short, slender girl that was the smallest of the group. She had a very light perplexion, contrasting with her dark grey eyes that stared intently at them, emphasized by thick eyelashes. Partly braided into a crown hairstyle resting over straight bangs, her dark brown hair reached to her shoulders.

She wore what seemed to be a schoolgirl uniform consisting of a grey sweater over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt, as well as a black plaid skirt. She also had on black stockings reaching up her calves, and a pair of white, uwabaki slippers.

"Ah, and who may you be?" She was now addressing Kai. His eyes moved over to Kenji, since he was the one with the notepad. _'Maybe I should be regretting giving that back...'_

"Hm? Not a talker? Come on, don't be shy. I don't bite, or maybe I do. Who knows?" She put a finger to her chin with an innocent smile.

"He's Kai Shiguro, Yaya." Kenji spoke up.

"Aw, here I was hoping he would tell me..." She pouted a bit, puffing out her cheeks. "Well, what's his talent?"

"Uh, we call him the Ultimate Mime Artist." Shun pitched into the conversation.

"Call him?"

"Well, he claims he isn't an Ultimate, only labelled as one by fans."

Yaya rubbed her cheek with her hand, nodding slowly. "I see, I see. Well, for the sake of fairness, I will address you as one. I would hate for you to be the only non-Ultimate in a group of talented students."

 _'Should I take that as an insult?'_

"Anyway, it is nice to meet you, Kai." She offered her hand, and the mime hesitantly shook it. "So, everyone else here is an Ultimate, I suppose?"

Kenji shrugged. "I mean, maybe? So far Kai is the only non-Ultimate here."

"I'm sure everyone else is locked up, though..." Shun rubbed his shoe into the ground. "Wait, how did you get out, Yaya?"

"Get out?"

"Yeah, all of us have woken up locked in one of the shops. Kai and I in the pawn shop, Shun in the sporting goods shop, and Kei in the ice cream shop. Where did you wake up?"

"Oh, I woke up at the reception desk back there." Yaya turned and pointed past the fountain, where a large booth next to a large map was stationed. "I woke to you three and Baby Face arguing." She giggled at her own nickname for Kei.

"Baby Face?" Shun stifled a small laugh of his own.

"Yup! Figured I may as well think of something cute to call him, after all!"

 _'Shouldn't we be looking for the others?'_

Kenji seemed to have read Kai's expression. "Shouldn't we get to work finding the others that may be here? Chances are they're awake and looking for rescue if they're locked up..."

"Ah, of course. But where to next, Kenji?" Yaya asked, looking around.

"Well, we came from down there..." Shun pointed to the hallway the three boys had explored. "We didn't hear anymore knocking come from down there."

"We could always explore the next one." Kenji said. "With Kei roaming around, he could let anyone that may be stuck out if we missed them."

"Maybe after he empties their pockets first, 'cuz of, well you know." Shun rolled his eyes.

"There's no harm in exploring more of the area, you know." Yaya shrugged. "Come on, let's go!"

Faster than any of the three, specifically Kai, could react the grandmaster had taken the boy's hand and led him down the next corridor. Kenji and Shun exchaged puzzled glances before following.

* * *

 **BANG!**

The group of four had hardly made it past the next shop before the familiar sound of hand-smacking metal echoed across the hallway, which attracted them to it like moths to a flame. This time it seemed to be a gym. The windows, or where they would be, were blocked off with shutters of their own, so they couldn't see whoever was on the other side.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

"What the...?" Kenji started.

"I HAVE THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE! AAAAAAA-"

"What-?" Shun followed.

 **BANG!**

The clash was much louder as the screen rattled, as if the boy on the other side threw his entire body into the shutter.

"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!"

 **BANG!**

 **BANG! BANG!**

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The screen continued to rattle and shake as it came on the receiving end of a barrage of punches from the other side.

"What even is going on in there?" Kenji, Kai, Yaya and Shun all exchanged looks of confusion.

"Whatever it is, he seems to be having fun. Even if it is...not working." The grandmaster pointed to how the shutter, despite the amount of punches it was taking, wasn't going to fall off. Even so, it was riddled with a fair amount of dents from where it was struck.

"KAMEEEEE...HAMEEE..."

 _'What is he even saying?'_

"HAAAAAAAA!"

Nothing happened. All they could hear was the boy quietly muttering about 'it not working' and how he 'will make it work someday.'

"Um, hello? Do you need help in there?" Kenji had asked as he tapped lightly on the shutter.

"Oh!" The boy responded with mild surprise. "Uh...heh...that'd be appreciated..."

"Alright. The code to your lock is 11037."

In seconds the lock was undone and the shutter was raised. "Hey, thanks for that! I'm sure if you hadn't come around I'd have to reach my final form to break out!" He pumped his fists together with a cocky smile.

"So, what was that, anyway?" Yaya was first to ask.

"Eh? You don't watch anime?" The boy looked as if the girl had struck a nerve.

"Oh, I have seen an episode or two, but what I meant was what was up with...that?" She gestured to the dents in the shutter, which kept it from completely closing. Anyone Kai's height would need to crouch slightly to avoid knocking their head into the sheet of metal.

"Ah, that. Well...just imitating some of my favorite animes, ah hehe..." He folded his arms behind his back, his face glowing a hot red.

"Dork." Yaya chuckled softly, in a not-so-insulting manner.

"A-Anyway, what's up? Junpei Takishima, Ultimate Personal Trainer here! Looking for a quick and efficient workout, I'm your man!"

* * *

 **JUNPEI TAKISHIMA**

 **ULTIMATE PERSONAL TRAINER**

* * *

Junpei, true to his talent as a personal trainer, had a incredibly fit and taken care of physique. He was around Kai's height, complimented with a light brown complexion and toned muscles, as well as a rounded yet chiseled face. His hair was a mess of dark brown curls that threatened to creep into his baby blue eyes, behind a pair of black sunglasses. There was also a distinct, swirling tattoo partially visible on his left shoulder.

He wore a white short-sleeved shirt that appeared too tight for his fit frame. On the back, thanks to Junpei turning around to flex his muscles, Kai could see the black and red outline of a dragon, as well as the logo for "Dojo Dome." He also had on a pair of black track pants, blue lines running down the sides. A silver chain necklace hung around his neck, while a red and white beaded bracelet and nameplate bracelet rested on his left and right wrist, respectively.

"Hey, I've heard of you! I did a news article over Dojo Dome a year back, an oustanding place!" Kenji beamed, after writing down Junpei's name and talent into the notepad. Kai checked.

"I think I read that argument a while back! I'm guessing you're Kenji Yonezawa?" Junpei grinned, firmly gripping the boy's hand to shake it.

"Yup, Ultimate Journalist in the flesh!" Kenji proudly shook his hand. The personal trainer laughed.

"I'm Shun Tetsudai, Ultimate Libero!" Shun beamed as Junpei turned to face him.

"Hey, I've heard of ya! Believe me when I say you've got game, as expected of an Ultimate!" The boy grinned as he slapped Shun on the shoulder.

"Yaya Kyūyū. The Ultimate Grandmaster, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet ya as well!" Junpei smiled bashfully, before finally turning to Kai. "And you?"

 _'...'_

"He's Kai Shiguro. He's the Ultimate Mime Artist."

 _'No. I'm not.'_

"Ultimate Mime Artist, eh?" Junpei smirked, much to Kai's dismay as he looked back with an expression of distaste.

 _'I appreciate the flattery, but I'm not an Ultimate Mime Artist. Thanks, but no thanks.'_

Junpei raised a brow. '"Not much of a sociable guy, are you?"

 _'Not really, no.'_

Kenji must have decided this to be time to return the notepad, but not before tearing out the page he was writing on. Kai accepted it, albeit a bit reluctantly. But seeing as he took the page he was listing names on before giving it back, his expression softened.

 _'At least he's not going to mark on his hands again.'_

"Sorry, but I'm not a talker." Kai scribbled down before presenting it to Junpei.

"I see..." He nodded in understandment. "But I do hope we can get to know each other!"

Kai wasn't really paying attention as the four continued to speak to each other, blocking out most of their conversation as a new thought came to mind. He wanted to slap himself for only dwelling on it now.

 _'What is going on here?'_

"Hey, Earth to Kai!"

He looked up to Shun calling his name, for what he guessed was a long while. "You seemed like you were focusing on something, we've been trying to get your attention for a while now."

Kai blinked.

"Something on your mind?"

Kai went to work putting everything on his mind onto one tiny paper. By the time he was done the page was covered in ink from top to bottom. He presented it to the others.

"Am the only one who thinks something strange is going on here? I mean, we all are waking up locked up in shops, the skylight in the Food Court is sealed by metal plating, and we haven't even come across ten people in this whole place. I remember there being a large crowd of people when I arrived, so where is everyone? Something is going on here, and I really am not liking it."

There was a long silence that felt like an eternity to endure as the four read his message, when in actually it was only thirty seconds. Thirty seconds of silence.

"Now that you mention it..." Shun said quietly.

"Does anyone remember what happened? People don't wake up locked behind a metal shutter with no memory of what happened, right?" Kenji added.

"No...it's all really fuzzy over here..." Yaya scratched her forehead. "I'm drawing a blank."

Junpei, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed. In fact, he only seemed more fired up. "It's going to be alright! Trust me guys, nothing bad is going to happen to us!" He puffed out his chest, like the hero in an action movie. "I swear to it, on my samurai headgear and armor!"

"You sound so sure." Yaya replied, now in a more serious tone.

"Well!" Junpei opened his mouth to speak, but only closed it back when he couldn't think of something to say.

"Regardless, we may not be the only ones here. It's best we continue looking for whoever else may be here." The grandmaster continued. "Let's get a move on."

* * *

 **Time to be frank here, did not expect to make such a long chapter with only four introductions. Trust me, I planned on introducing seven here, then have the last seven introduced in what was going to be the final part of the Prologue. My only problem is that I didn't want to present a massive wall of text to read, and currently I'm deprived of ideas, so I decided to end this here.. Hope this isn't going to be a problem, and that you enjoyed it for what it is.**

 **I would also like to show the full cast for Despair's Shopping Center!**

 **Males:**

 **1\. Kai Shiguro - "Ultimate" Mime Artist. (TheÜbermenschWriter)**

 **2\. Kenji Yonezawa - Ultimate Journalist. (TheÜbermenschWriter)**

 **3\. Anzu Murano - Ultimate Cashier. (PainX65)**

 **4\. Junpei Takishima - Ultimate Personal Trainer. (Prince PokéPersona)**

 **5\. Tetsuro - Ultimate Roboticist (Shyjoker)**

 **6\. Kei Fukai - Ultimate Hawker (AmaryllisGreen)**

 **7\. Noritaka Fukuyo - Ultimate Thief (Abitat Eco)**

 **8\. Shun Tetsudai - Ultimate Libero (KISL)**

 **Females:**

 **1\. Emica Ogasawara - Ultimate Police Detective (HeroOfTheEmblem)**

 **2\. Chouko Kobayashi - Ultimate Art Therapist (OnlyTruePotterhead)**

 **3\. Yamine Ichiro - Ultimate Mortician (ChaoticMercy)**

 **4\. Sana Kasai - Ultimate Acapella Singer (Prince PokéPersona)**

 **5\. Asumi Okudaira - Ultimate Chemist (SanityRequiem)**

 **6\. Yaya Kyūyū - Ultimate Grandmaster (vahh0)**

 **7\. Ichirin Takigawa - Ultimate Jeweler (TheRoseShadow21)**

 **8\. Miori Kido - Ultimate Chainsaw Artist (Orlando Butler)**

 **Anyway, I'll be seeing you all in Part III of the Prologue. Ciao!~**


	4. Prologue Part 3 (OLD)

**Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors Part III:**

Kai tapped the tip of his ink pen to his chin, as he looked around the selection of shops the party of four strode past. It had been around ten minutes since they had brought Junpei along with them on their special journey across Hope's Peak Shopping Center in search of other people who may be locked up in need of rescue. People who were, just like everyone except Kai, Ultimates.

However, there hadn't been much activity during those ten minutes. Junpei had begun a friendly discussion with Shun about volleyball, and how the personal trainer would be up for a special training session sometime later. Yaya was playing a round of tic tac toe against Kenji on the palm of his hand. While he wasn't watching, Kai could tell from the constant muttering that the journalist was losing. Badly.

"Hey..." Kenji asked after his fifth crushing defeat at the hands of the Ultimate Grandmaster. "Could we sit and take a breather? Walking around in these boots has my feet cramped up..."

Conveniently, they were right next to two benches, the seats being made of wood with lustrous metal framing. There was a small box-shaped trash can nearby, completely empty. He wiped the traces of his last tic tac toe game on his jeans, adding to a dark blue smear that had taken over his knee.

"I thought we were looking for the others?" Shun said, looking away from Junpei.

"Well, we've been walking for a while with no results." Yaya stated, stretching out her arms. "It wouldn't hurt to take a small break. Besides, Kei is out and about, he's sure to encounter a few people."

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. He probably won't let them out without making them pay up every last bit of change in their pockets," Shun deadpanned with a quick eye roll.

"Oh, whatever," Yaya shrugged, leaning back onto a bench, crossing one leg over the other with her hands in her lap. "If you want to continue looking for them, be my guest." Kenji joined her at her side.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while Shun." Junpei explained, before moving to the second bench, positioned to where it and the first bench were back-to-back. Rather than sit down, however, he started stretching, bending down to touch his toes.

The volleyball star let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, fine..." He joined Junpei in stretching while Kai took a seat in the bench. Well, more like laying down on it while he pulled his beret down to cover his eyes.

'This feels like a good time to take a quick nap. All this walking is pretty boring...'

Despite waking up in the pawn shop not even a full hour ago, all the boy wanted was a decent enough rest from all the traveling, since his feet were starting to ache. Not to mention he wanted some peace and quiet, so he figured taking a nap would give him time to himself. After a few short moments he had closed his eyes, drifting off to dreamland.

* * *

"Hey, I have good news, sweetie!"

 _'...'_

"I've sent your resume over to the folks at the Togami Corporation, and above all odds they are very interested in what you have to offer! They wish to get to know you better, so we've scheduled an interview tomorrow afternoon!"

Kai rolled his eyes as he tried his best to ignore his mother's words. Glancing out of the window of the personalized limousine, he watched as the city passed by in a streak of colorful lights. Raindrops dotted the tinted glass, and slowly dripped down to the bottom before vanishing from view. The vehicle came to a stop at a glowing red light, one in a long line of other stopped cars.

"Kai. I want you to look at me."

He had to force himself to face the woman seated beside him. Her bright orange eyes stared deep into Kai's brown ones, and it was fair of him to think that if looks could kill, he wouldn't be sitting where he was.

"You know very well that your father and I want you to be happy. We understand that very clearly. However, we also want you to have a worthwhile career that pays you well. This hobby of yours, these charades on the street, were fun for a while. But you know that it doesn't earn you much at all. It's not something that can get you a nice home to live in, or put food on the table, or even support a future family." She crossed her arms over her modest bosom. "It's time to move on from this."

Kai's hands clenched into fists, and he tried his damn hardest to bite back his pent-up anger and frustration.

 _'She doesn't understand anything at all. She only wants and cares about what makes her happy.'_

She seemed to notice this. "Don't you start with that attitude, young man. We only want what's best for you, and right now this isn't it."

 _'She doesn't get it. She hasn't spent any actual time with me to know what's best for me.'_

The red light had now turned green, and soon enough the limo was moving again. The two were silent for quite some time, until the driver spoke up.

"Miss Shiguro, we'll be back to the household in less than ten minutes."

"Thank you, Jarvis." Kai's mother smiled. But it was a false smile, covering up the foul mood she was now in. "See Kai, why aren't you grateful for what is given to you?"

 _'That's it. I'm tired of this.'_

Kai's fist slammed into a glowing yellow button. A special button that told the driver to stop the vehicle, since he lacked the voice to do it himself. Jarvis didn't question his choice, only slowing down until the limousine was parked by the curb. On instinct and without looking back he opened the door and pushed himself out into the rain.

"Kai! Get out of the rain and back inside! Now!"

The boy blocked out his mother's demands, and instead pushed himself forward into the rain, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He shoved past pedestrians walking along the sidewalk under the shelter of an umbrella, ignoring the harsh words they barked at him. But he didn't care about it. He just wanted to get as far away from it all as possible.

Tears spilled from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He thought it was the rain pelting his face, but the tears were hot. He really was crying as he charged faster through the storm, with nowhere to go but forward...

* * *

"Hey, get the fuck back here, asshole!"

Kai's eyes were heavy when he tried to raise them. He had woken up, not just from the sudden outburst that echoed off of the walls, but because of that one memory coming back to bite him. It left him with a foul taste in his mouth, but also with fresh tears on his cheeks. While he couldn't do anything with the former, he wiped away the latter with his sleeve before anyone could see that he had nearly cried in his sleep.

 _'So much for having a decent nap...'_

As he sat up to adjust his beret, Junpei had noticed he was awake.

"Oh hey, you're awake." He said, which gathered Kenji, Shun, and Yaya's attention.

"If you're wondering what happened, Baby Face seems to have made a friend." Yaya giggled, fingers pointed down the corridor.

Kai's gaze followed, where he saw Kei in hot pursuit of a boy completely unfamiliar to him. So it seemed that they were crossing paths for the second time in one day. But since the hawker's face was a deep shade of red, and boiling with rage burning hotter than hellfire, Kai could tell it wasn't an intentional encounter. Kei wasn't alone, either. A small girl was following behind him, albeit at her own pace.

"Ooo, you're really scary, ya know that?" The boy looked over his shoulder. "But if you want it back, you'll have to catch me first!" He proceeded to stick out his tongue like he was a young child, further angering Kei, and continued sprinting with remarkable speed.

"Are you sure?" Kenji asked with a doubtful glance toward the grandmaster. "Kei looks ready to break him like a stick..."

"You heard the kid. Kei will have to get his hands on him first, something he very clearly isn't doing." Yaya replied with a small laugh.

 _'Well, she has a point.'_

Kai nodded. She had a fair point. Despite how fast and furious he was, Kei didn't hold a candle to the other boy's incredible quickness. Same applied to the girl following behind him. Both were left eating his dust with a large gap between them. The five watched as he made it over a large, potted plant in one leap, continuing to close the distance between him and them.

"What do you think happened?" Shun spoke up. "Kei wouldn't just attack and chase someone just because they gave him a funny look...right?"

"No." Kenji said. "You heard him. There's something of his that was stolen. And something about that boy seems familiar..."

"Oh? Friend of yours, Kenji?" Yaya asked.

"No, but I believe I've covered something related to him...just give me a moment to think..."

 _'Stolen? So, is he some kind of thief?'_

"If he stole something from Kei, would that make him a thief?"

"Thief?" Junpei looked repelled the word.

"Wait, now I remember! He's the Phantom Kitsune!" Kenji snapped his fingers as he came to remember the name.

"Phantom Kitsune?" Shun tilted his head.

"Ding ding ding! You would be correct!" Came a voice from behind the libero, which caused him to squeak in surprise and leap back. The boy hopped up onto the trash bin, staring down at the group.

"Ah, what have we here? A few new faces it seems…" He cooed in a calm, observant tone, taking turns looking each one over. He got rather close to Kai, however. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I would remember faces like that."

 _'He seems like a lot of trouble...'_ Kai thought to himself.

"Have you gotten lost or something running around the big scary shopping centre? No? Eh, good thing. I hear it gets haunted at night..." He gave a playfully ominous giggle as he waved his arms like a ghost, making small 'oooo' sounds also like a spirit.

"Actually, no we haven't. We were walking on looking for others who may be trapped here." Yaya explained. "I believe we should introduce ourselves. Yaya Kyūyū, Ultimate Grandmaster. Pleasure to meet you.

"I'm Shun Tetsudai, the Ultimate Libero."

"Junpei Takishima, Ultimate Personal Trainer."

The two didn't seem to have cold feet talking to a thief. Noritaka didn't seem to mind though.

Instead, he leaned close to Kai's face again. "And who's this one?"

"He's Kai Shiguro, the Ultimate Mime Artist." Kenji explained. "And I'm Kenji Yonezawa, the Ultimate Journalist."

"Not a talker, hm?" The Phantom Kitsune tilted his head curiously.

"Not really. He uses pen and paper instead."

"Ah, I see." The boy then booped Kai on the nose with a gloved finger before standing up straight.

 _'Did...did he just...?'_ Kai's face heated up a tad more, earning a muffled laugh from Yaya.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you all! Just know how privileged you should be feeling right now, to be standing in the shadow of the Ultimate Thief himself! Yes, I am Noritaka Fukuyo, but I am probably better known aaassss, drumroll please, you'll need it...the Phantom Kitsune!"

* * *

 **NORITAKA FUKUYO**

 **ULTIMATE THIEF**

* * *

Noritaka was around Kai's height, but he had a more slender physique to suit his talent as a thief. His skin had a light, peach-colored tint to it which seemed to match his rounded face and small dimples on his cheeks, giving an adorable yet deceitful appearance. Two emerald cat-like eyes held a small glint to them, further giving him a mischievous aura. His indigo hair was styled neatly, with most pulled back into a short ponytail.

When it came to his outfit, Kai had to admit that Nori's was fairly intriguing. He wore a crimson red vest shirt over a violet short-sleeved shirt while a dark purple waist coat was worn over both. The coat's sleeves reached to his elbows and extended down to his ankles. His lavender pants were held up with a brown leather belt while his fuschia boots were secured to his feet by silver buckles. The most notable features were his fox-like accessories, which went well with his alias as the Phantom Kitsune. Two furry fox ears poked out from his hair, while his eyes peeked through an eye mask. A grand cape waved behind him, held around his shoulders with a bronze brooch in the shape of a fox. There was also a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"I knew that the name sounded familiar. I've covered a few of your stories in the local newspaper. Legend says you've never been caught." Kenji stated, pointing his pen in Noritaka's direction.

"Mmhmm! Correct!" The Phantom Kitzune applauded. "I am the shadowed spectre of darkness himself, striking from right under your very nose!

'He's really that good?'

"Which reminds me, this is a very nice coin pouch by the way Kai, you have good taste."

 _'Wait, what?'_

Kai's eyes widened in shock. In Nori's open hand was a small coin pouch. His coin pouch.

 _'When did he-'_

His hands shot instantly for the pocket at the front of his overalls. Empty.

 _'HOW did he-?!'_

Noritaka let out a playful snicker while he tossed the pouch around like a bean bag. "Looks like I have another bit of treasure to add to my collection." Opening the front of his bag, he slipped the pouch inside, along with a few pieces of jewelry and chocolate bars. He looked back to see Kai with a rather angry face.

"Heh, you know what they say, Kai! Finders keepers. Like it or not I found something, therefore I'm keeping it! Unless you want it back, and in that case you'll have to take it from my cold, dead fingers..." He let out a rather sinister chuckle.

 _'I don't like him. I really don't like him...'_

"Hey, give me my fucking stuff back, you prick!" Kei shouted from behind him.

During their conversation, he was able to catch up to the Phantom Kitsune, now less than twenty feet and getting closer and closer.

"O-Our stuff..." Said the girl behind him with a timid whisper.

"Weeeell, it looks like I'd better skedaddle before these two catch me! Sayonara for now!" With a half-courteous and half-mocking bow, Noritaka reached into his satchel.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not letting you get away this time!" Kei charged forward like a bull, hands clenched into a hard, closed fist.

But before he could the thief, several small pellets had hit the ground and erupted into a thick cloud of dark smoke. Everyone inside was left a disoriented mess and thrown into a coughing fit.

 _'W-What's going on?'_ Kai stood, hands groping about to find somebody in the haze.

"What the fuck is this?!" Kei coughed out. There was a loud slam as he collided with something in the smokescreen.

Or rather, someone. Kai had walked into the line of fire, and ended up on the receiving end of a really powerful punch to the cheek. He didn't even see it coming. He could only feel the impact before everything went black and he dropped to the floor like a brick. He was unconscious before he even touched down, all voices around him being suddenly cut off.

* * *

"H-Hey, he's coming too. Could someone get me some ice?"

"Right, I'm on it!"

"Hey, let me help! Wait for me!"

When Kai's consciousness slowly slipped back into him, he could hear a cacophony of voices calling out to each other, and slender fingers prodding at his face. It wasn't long after he tried opening his eyes that his cheek flared up with a stinging pain, making him clench his teeth. His vision was distorted, a mess of smudges mixed together to form an image he couldn't identify.

"H-Hey, are you alright?"

The voice was unfamiliar to him. As he blinked away his hazy vision, the blurry shapes came to create a new girl standing above him, watching with a look of great concern.

Kai's hands moved to his aching cheek as he struggle to sit up. He was lying down on the wooden bench, instead of the hard, tiled floor.

"Oh thank heavens, you're awake." Yaya let out a soft breath of relief.

 _'What...What happened...?'_

"When Nori's smokescreen was cleared, we found you down on the floor. But it wasn't difficult to realize what happened. Kei wound up hitting you, probably because he thought you were Nori." Junpei, almost as if he could read his thoughts, answered. "And man, was that quite a hit, you were for so long. It's a miracle this wasn't episode of One Punch Man."

Kai blinked. _'What?'_

"Anyway." Yaya continued. "After the smoke cleared we found you on the floor out cold. Kei didn't seem to care, though, and left without saying anything. So we took care of you. Kenji and Shun are currently out to find ice."

 _'So, that's what happened...'_

"I-It's good to see that you're alright." The girl at his side spoke up. "I-I'm Ichirin Takigawa, the Ultimate Jeweler. Nice to meet you."

* * *

 **ICHIRIN TAKIGAWA**

 **ULTIMATE JEWELER**

* * *

Ichirin was a small and petite girl, almost around Yaya's size. However, she looked much more like a doll with her thin and delicate figure. Her skin was very pale, almost like porcelain, which made the scars lining her face stand out like a sore thumb. One notable scar rested across her left eye, a deep chocolate brown. Her peach-colored hair was long, flowing down her back and stopping just above her elbows.

She was also dressed up like a doll, wearing a long-sleeved lilac dress with a rounded neckline, puffy sleeves, and baby blue buttons. Her feet were adorned in matching pumps and pastel blue thigh high socks. A bubblegum pink bow rested comfortably in her hair. Both of her ears were pierced with dangling earrings.

Kai reached into his pocket for his notepad, only for him to find that it was missing. _'Huh, did I drop it?'_

"Oh, are you looking for this?" He looked up to see it in Yaya's open hand. "This fell out when Kei knocked you out, so I held onto it while we waited for you to wake up." She took the small notebook, as well as his pen, and placed it back into his hands.

He nodded his thanks. "I'm Kai Shiguro. Nice to meet you as well, Ichirin."

His cheek throbbed with pain, causing him to drop the pad and hold it into his hand. He bit down onto his lip.

"O-Oh! Hold on, Kenji should be back soon." Despite how much it hurt, feeling Ichirin's delicate hands gently inspect his cheek calmed him. Maybe it was how gentle they were. Maybe it was how much care she was giving someone she didn't even know.

 _'Maybe it's both...'_

"Hey guys! I'm back with the ice!" Kenji shouted from down the hall as he approached. He held a large metal bucket that was almost overflowing with ice cubes. A few dropped to the floor, where they shattered into pieces and melted into small puddles. "Shun's busy trying to find something in the convenience store to make an ice pack with."

Kai looked over to Ichirin. "Did you wake up there, Ichirin?" He only heard of it now, so he was curious.

"Huh? N-No, I didn't. I woke up in the jewelry store right across from it."

Down the hall was the convenience store where Kai could only assume Noritaka and Kei had come from, and next to it was the jewelry shop. Both were completely open without a large metal shutter in the way.

"Don't worry Kenji, I got the ice pack covered. Just let me..." Junpei didn't give anyone time to object as he suddenly removed his shirt, giving everyone a full view of his toned, fit body underneath.

"Uwah?!" Ichirin let out a shocked squeal, face burning a bright red.

"Oh. Oh my." Was the only thing Yaya could say.

Kai's cheeks glowed a light pink. _'W-What's he doing?! Why did he take his shirt off?!'_

"There we go. Now..." Junpei trailed off as he took his shirt and scooped handfuls of ice onto it, then wrapped and folded it into a small ice pack. He was completely ignorant to their reactions. If anything, he seemed pleased that they reacted at all, judging by his confident smirk.

"H-Huh?" Shun had now appeared on the scene, and was now greeted with a shirtless Junpei. "Y-You know I was getting a plastic bag to make one, Kenji. Junpei didn't have to take off his shirt..." He was holding a small bag in his hand.

"Well..." The personal trainer scratched at the back of his scalp. "This is...a bit awkward..."

"Something tells me you were just trying to show off..." Yaya said with a sneer. "And you succeeded, judging by Ichirin's and Kai's faces. Didn't know our mute little friend rolled that way..."

 _'W-What? I'm not like that at all! ...right?'_

Kai's cheeks burned hotter as he did his best to look away, holding the one that ached. Ichirin remained quiet, shuffling her feet across the floor with her arms folded behind her back.

The grandmaster only let out a victorious giggle. "Oh, I'm just playing with you two. It's just so easy to tease you. Why, it's not fair!"

"I-I'll go ahead and put my shirt on now, I feel like I've made the situation worse..." Junpei sighed, disposing of the ice cubes in the trash bit before slipping back into his damp shirt.

"I mean, Kai could still gawk at you if he wanted to, now that your shirt is practically see-through." Yaya continued to tease.

"A-Anyway!" Ichirin stammered, trying to get the conversation out of the gutter. "W-We should get Kai his ice pack. His cheek's looking very swollen right now."

"She's right. Let's just put this aside for now, and get to work on that..." Kenji agreed, and in mere moments the mime artist was holding a makeshift cold pack, or a plastic bag filled to the brim with ice cubes, to his hurting cheek.

He had to admit, even if it looked silly and his hand was incredibly cold, he felt leagues better to now be soothing the pain. Though it was a pain having to write with one hand.

"So, where should we go now?"

"Well, why don't we check out the supermarket? I mean, the place IS open." Junpei suggested with a shrug. "Plus, I don't know about you guys, but I could kill for a protein shake right about now."

"I agree. Not on the protein shake bit, but I could really go for a snack." Yaya added.

"Sounds good! I've always been wanting to explore more of it. Come on, let's go!" Shun grinned.

Kai, Ichirin, and Kenji all silently agreed, and the party of six made their way to the supermarket.

* * *

The supermarket was a very large and spacious shop, with an equally large inventory to boot. From end to end large shelves stood high, stocked high and low with all sorts of foodstuff. From where Kai was standing, he could see breakfast cereals, canned fruits and vegetables. On the far right side there were a row of refrigerators, supplied with dairy products like milk and cheese. The air was warm, and smelled like freshly baked bread.

"Alright, I'll be right back. Gonna go grab a protein shake." Junpei grinned, pointing over his shoulder to the dairy section of the store.

"I'll be coming with you." Yaya said. "I may get something to drink as well."

"Oh, count me in!" Shun beamed. "Got a hankering for some strawberry milk!"

"Alright. You guys coming with?" Junpei looked to Kai, Kenji and Ichirin.

"Nah, I'm good. How about you two?"

"No thanks..." Ichirin spoke in a low, soft whisper.

Kai shook his head.

"Suit yourself!"

With that, the three walked off to the far right of the supermarket towards the dairy section. Kenji smiled warmly as he took in a very deep breath.

"Mmm, you guys smell that?" Without a doubt he was talking about the smell of bread, which Kai could smell when they came into the shop. "Oooh, I just have to see what pastries they have here!" And without much of a warning, he had started following the aroma, making a mad dash toward the source.

"K-Kenji! Don't run so fast!" Ichirin cried from behind.

Kai only pinched his nose in annoyance. _'Jeez, there is no off switch on this kid, is there...'_

"Should we follow after him? I don't want to see him get hurt..."

He reluctantly nodded.

By the time the two had found Kenji, the journalist was bent over a display case with his hands pressed against. He was staring down a whole set of sweet snacks. Maybe he was staring a bit too intently, as he was breathing hard enough to create a cloud of condensation on the thick glass. Doughnuts glazed over with icing sugar or syrup glistened under the light, while danishes stuffed with rich cream or fruit jam oozed their contents on the wax paper beneath them. The whole display was making Kenji's mouth water.

Kai had to admit he was drooling a bit seeing the pastries as well. But that wasn't his biggest focus at the moment. From another section of the store he could hear snoring. As in, someone was sleeping here.

"You hear it, too?" Ichirin asked, having heard it as well.

"Oooh, they all look so good!" Kenji chirped in delight, looking over a doughnut topped with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. "Maybe I'll get one of these..."

Apparently Kenji was so concerned with the sweet treats, that he didn't notice the loud snoring. The mime tapped his shoulder only to get no response. Kai repeated this three more times with the same result, which only further irritated him.

"Hey Kai, which one do you think sounds the best-"

He didn't get to finish as Kai slapped his free hand over his mouth, silencing him in a heartbeat. Ichirin let out a small squeak from the sudden movement, but remained quiet. Several seconds passed before Kai removed his hand and adjusted his grip on the ice pack with his other hand, now ice cold from pressing the makeshift ice pack.

 _'Please tell me you heard it now...'_

"Oh, that's what you were trying to tell me?" A small sweat bullet slipped down his cheek. "Haha, sorry about that, guess I was carried away by these treats, eh?"

 _'Yes. Very much.'_

"Should we investigate it? I-I mean, that means someone is sleeping here, right?" Ichirin asked, looking in the direction of where the snoring was coming from.

"Yeah, it would make the most sense. Come on, let's go."

"You two go on ahead." Kenji turned back to the shelf. "I'm still thinking about what to get."

Kai had to force himself from grabbing Kenji by the neck and smashing his head through the glass as he took Ichirin's hand and walked away from the bakery, leaving him behind.

* * *

 **Okay. I feel absolutely awful with updating this story with a 4,000+ word chapter but only have two character introductions compared to last time when I had four in the last part. But I really didn't want to have a massive wall of text for people to read. Some other writers may do that but it isn't my style, and I really didn't want to burn myself out with writing more.**

 **I really do hope that doesn't upset anyone. Or make anyone think I'm just trying to drag this out as much as I can.**

 **But on a more positive note, the entire Prologue to this story will be five parts long. And the last two parts will have four character introductions each for the last eight characters needing yet to be introduced to the story. Not to mention that a good friend, Prince PokéPersona, has beta read this chapter and has helped shape it to what it is. So thanks a ton for that dude! :)**

 **One final thing. I'm thinking about doing some responses to reviews in the story, ones that ask questions regarding the story or some predictions or something like that. What do you guys think. Tell me in the reviews.**

 **But anyway, I'll be taking my leave. See you all in the next chapter. Ciao!~**


	5. Prologue Part 4 (OLD)

**Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors Part IV:**

"Sooo, Junpei..."

Yaya's lips involuntarily curled into a small, yet smug grin as she approached the personal trainer. She found herself in a very pleasant mood, and not just because she had found a nearby booth stocked with all types of cheeses, which she had made plans to get samples of later. She could now continue to pester him over how he had taken his shirt off a few minutes ago. Currently, Junpei was looking into the store's refrigerators, attention fixed on the line of protein shakes.

"Huh?" He nearly bonked his head on a higher shelf when he turned around. "Oh, what is it, Yaya?"

The grandmaster forced down the urge to giggle, at least for now. "How about you tell me the real reason you took off your shirt?"

Shun, who was taking a hearty gulp of strawberry milk, almost ended up choking on it from the suddenness of the question. Thankfully, he didn't choke when he swallowed it down, but it didn't make him any less baffled. "W-Wha?! I thought we were done with that topic..."

"Y-Yeah, so why are you bringing it back up?" Junpei added, his cheeks a light pink shade.

"Well, yes. We were done with it, for the time being of course." Yaya placed a finger mischievously on her lower lip. "Even more convenient now that Ichirin isn't here..."

"Eh? What does she have to do with it?" Shun tilted his head, perplexed.

 _'Jeez, is Shun always this dense?'_ Yaya thought to herself, of course not out loud.

"It's fairly simple, really." She started, hands on her hips in a teasing fashion and her lips pulled into a cocky smirk. "I'm sure that Junpei's got a huuuge crush on our little Ultimate Jeweler."

"W-What?!" Junpei yelped, hands raised defensively. "T-That's not it at all!"

"Oh, are you sure?" Yaya leaned forward a bit, her smile only getting wider. "You saw how red Ichirin's face got when she saw you shirtless. And don't believe for a second I didn't see you smirk while you stuffed your shirt with ice."

The personal trainer fell silent, only able to blink. Shun was left speechless as well.

 _'Mmhmm, that's what I thought.'_

"W-Well..." Junpei stuttered, his mouth trying to come up with some kind of defense only to come up with nothing. Sweat beaded across his forehead.

"I mean, she does have a bit of a point." Shun agreed with a small shrug. "You did look like you were satisfied 'cuz of how Ichirin reacted..."

"C-Come on, it wasn't like that at all! I-I mean, she's a little cute, but-" Soon after those words came out he realize that he realized he may have said too much.

"Good thing she isn't here to hear you say that, oh ho ho!" Yaya guffawed triumphantly, like she was a queen standing tall over her loyal subjects. "So, will Junpei Takishima win the heart of Ichirin Takigawa? Find out in the next exciting episode of Dragon Ball Z!" With a small wink, she turned on her heels and marched in the opposite direction.

"H-Hey!"

"W-Where are you going?" Shun called out.

"Well, unless you want to leave without paying for that, to find a cashier."

Shun shut his mouth, and quietly followed after, twisting the lid back onto the small bottle of strawberry milk. The two left behind a defeated personal trainer.

* * *

"How is your cheek feeling, Kai?" Ichirin asked softly, her hands reaching out to feel his face.

Kai slowly shifted his grip on the makeshift ice pack, before pulling it away from his cheek. Most of the ice has melted down into water, which left the left side of his face and his hand wet. The hissing pain had died down as well, so there wasn't much more of a reason to have it. As they passed by a conveniently-placed trash bin, he threw it away, and dried his hand onto the leg of his overalls. It was a relief that he could now write with both hands and be comfortable doing it.

"Doing a lot better. Thanks, Ichirin."

"O-Oh, it's nothing..." Her cheeks glowed a soft pink as she quickly looked away, her light-colored hair brushing across his shoulder. "B-But, I want to apologize..." She seemed to deflate a little, her head slumping as she stared down her dainty feet.

' _Apologize?'_ Kai raised an eyebrow. _'For what?'_

"I'm sorry that Kei punched you, a-and that I got you caught up in Noritaka's antics...I feel l-like it's all my fault..." She spoke in a hushed tone, almost like a whisper. She was rubbing her hands nervously. "I-I just got so worked up because all my jewelry was stolen...a-and...H-Huh?"

She let out a small gasp in shock as Kai gripped her shoulders tightly, and turned her around so her dark brown eyes were staring into his. He could now clearly see the rough, jagged scars across her face, and the tears welling up in her eyes that made it plain to see she was on the brink of tears. He released on hand, and pulled out a small cloth handkerchief.

 _'P-Please don't cry...'_ Seeing Ichirin tearing up was making his stomach feel weak and uneasy.

"It's all right, Ichirin. You haven't done anything wrong, so please don't cry." He showed her the message with his other hand, dabbing away at the tears that had slipped down her cheeks.

"A-Are you sure?" The jeweler sniffled, remaining still as Kai gently wiped at her tears with the soft, plush hankie.

"Positive."

Kai wasn't someone who could cheer someone up, since he didn't have a voice to, so there was a swelling fear clawing at his chest. A fear he didn't help the situation at all...

...which vanished once Ichirin had wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him into a rather tight hug.

 _'H-Huh?! W-Whoa!_ '

"T-Thank you, Kai..." She let out a small sigh as she rested her head onto Kai's chest, which made his face glow a very bright shade of red.

 _'U-Um...'_

He wouldn't normally have a problem with how she had hugged him out of the blue, if it weren't for the fact that she still had him pulled close after ten seconds. To make matters more awkward, they were standing in plain sight, where anyone could turn a corner and see them embracing. Of course, Kai decided to keep that to himself, because out of those he's met right now, Ichirin didn't deserve the negativity.

 _'Please...PLEASE tell me no one is seeing this right now...'_ Kai's eyes dart frantically to the left and right, as well as down the aisles, hoping nobody was watching.

There didn't seem to be anyone nearby.

 _'Oh, thank goodness...'_

"So...are you two going to keep hugging...or..." The new, monotone voice let out a rather loud yawn mid-sentence.. "...are you going to actually buy something...?"

 _'Oh...'_ Never mind.

"E-Eep!" Ichirin squealed, her arms retreating from around Kai, behind her back in a heartbeat, her face a brighter shade of pink than before.

"Great, just what I needed waking up..." The boy half-groaned, half-yawned as he rubbed at his temples.

"I-I'm s-sorry..." The jeweler apologized.

"It's fine, really..." He yawned again, rubbing his tired eyes with his hands. "I just...haven't been getting much sleep...I slept for two hours today. Wooo, go me..." It was hard for Kai to tell if he was being sarcastic or not with his tone.

"Huh? Y-You should get some rest, then..." Ichirin said. "T-That much sleep isn't good for you..."

"I would, if I could..." The boy pinched the bridge of his nose, looking around at the shelves. "I hate this place. Reminds me of work..."

 _'Work?'_

"Oh yeah, may as well introduce myself...right. Anzu Murano. Ultimate Cashier, I know right? A cashier as an Ultimate?"

* * *

 **ANZU MURANO**

 **ULTIMATE CASHIER**

* * *

Anzu was the same height as Kai was, but with the way he was slouched, it wasn't very easy to tell. But it was clear to see the cashier was extremely tired, and it showed in his appearance. His skin was drained of energy, his face almost as pale as Ichirin's, and his short, dark-brown hair was incredibly unkempt with stray locks poking out in different directions. Underneath his tired, blue eyes were dark, heavy bags showing how deprived of sleep Anzu really was.

He wore a light, cream-colored button-up shirt, which had its sleeves folded at his elbows. Long, brown trousers were held around his waist with a long, black belt, and he wore a pair of solid black dress shoes. Above it all was a standard, dark red apron.

"I-I'm Ichirin T-Takigawa, the U-Ultimate Jeweler. N-Nice to meet you..."

"And you?" Anzu had turned his head towards Kai, raising a finger in his direction.

"Kai Shiguro."

"Hm...not a talker, huh?" The cashier was too tired to raise a brow. "And no talent, either..."

"T-There wasn't a need to be so rude about it..."

"I'm not trying to be rude here..." Anzu snapped, or at least tried to because it sounded more like an aggressive yawn. "But I'm really not feeling in the best of moods, or awake for that matter."

"H-Have you tried coffee? I-I heard caffeine helps with sleepiness..." Ichirin suggested, although a bit shaken from Anzu's sudden aggression.

"Coffee? Ugh...can't stand the stuff..." He grimaced in disgust.

"Neither can I." Yaya said from behind Kai. She approached the three with Shun and Junpei following suit. "It's too bitter for my taste, especially black coffee..."

"Oh, another batch of new faces. It's almost like I don't need to go back to sleep." The cashier sighed, sarcasm in his tone, which seemed to go right over Shun's head as he hopped forward to introduce himself.

"Hello there, mister!" Shun set his open hand out, waiting for Anzu to return the gesture.

Except he never did. Anzu raised his hand, but only to rub at his forehead with a frustrated grunt. "Ugh...and more loud and obnoxious noises, too..."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry..." The volleyball star retreated, his smile drooping to a small frown.

"Hey, what the heck's your problem?" Junpei stepped up, as if Anzu's attitude had struck a nerve. "He's just trying to be nice to you, there's no need to be a jerk about it!"

"I've already said it before..." Anzu took a moment to yawn and rub his eyes. "I'm not trying to start a fight. I haven't gotten any sleep last night...and all I want is some peace and quiet to myself before I have to get to work."

"Ah, so I suppose you work here then?" Yaya asked, brows raised in piqued interest. "Quite an achievement to be able to work for Hope's Peak Shopping Center, don't you think?"

"Eh?" Anzu's gaze moved to the grandmaster. "I don't work here...and hopefully I never do. It's already bad enough working in retail, and it would only be worse for me if I worked anywhere else..."

"I see, I see..." Yaya nodded slowly in understanding.

"So, what should I do about this?" Shun held up his bottle of strawberry milk. It was half-empty.

"I don't know, just take it if you want to. I don't see anyone that actually works here, so I don't see how you expect to pay for that." Anzu shrugged sluggishly.

"W-Wait, isn't that shoplifting?" Shun recoiled as if he was just told to go out in the streets and kill someone. "Isn't that very wrong?"

"B-But you already started drinking it anyway..." Ichirin pointed out. "D-Doesn't that already make that invalid...?"

"H-Hey, I was planning on purchasing it anyway, 'cuz I would never steal something!" Shun was quick to defend himself, raising his bandaged hands defensively.

"Mmhmm, suuure you were Shun..." Yaya nudged the boy's side with her elbow.

Kai decided to not get involved in the conversation. He had found himself dwelling more on something Anzu had said earlier, rather than paying attention to Shun trying to keep a clean conscious.

 _'I don't see anyone that actually works here...'_

Kai felt a strong sense of dread as those words echoed in the back of his mind, as they sounded as ominous as some of the other details he notice during his trip around the building. He started to ask himself questions, even though he didn't have answers for any of them.

 _'Why isn't there any staff members? Why are we the only people here, and why did we wake up locked inside of these shops?'_

He flipped through the pages of Kenji's notepad, until he found the strange '11037' message scribbled on the final sheet of paper.

'And what does this even mean? Why is it in Kenji's notepad?' He remembered Kenji brushing it off as if it didn't matter, when he originally thought Kai had written it down himself. 'Does Kenji even know? I should ask him about this when I get the time...'

"Hey, Kai!"

Yaya's voice brought him back to Earth, and he saw her snapping her fingers in front of his face. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. What was so interesting, if I may ask?"

He looked up, to find all eyes on him, save for Anzu. He was gone.

 _'He's probably off getting some rest...'_ And judging by Shun's cross expression, he likely was stuck having to take his drink without paying.

"It's nothing."

"Are you sure about that? You looked pretty focused on something on that page, ya know?" The girl snickered, leaning in close to catch a peek at the page.

"It's nothing, for the second time." Kai pulled the notepad away from her gaze.

"Come on, Kai! You're not being very fun..." She pouted in a very familiar fashion. "Anyway, you wouldn't happen to know where Kenji went off to, hm?"

"...I-I've already told you he's at the bakery, Yaya..." Ichirin said softly.

"Oh, I heard you." She smiled innocently, arms behind her back as she leaned up to the jeweler and poked her on the nose. "I just wanted to hear from Kai just to make sure!"

"Was...was that really needed?" Junpei asked.

"Hm?" Yaya only smirked in response. "Oh, are you being jealous, Junpei?"

"J-Jealous?" He pulled at his collar sheepishly. "W-What do I have to be jealous about?"

Kai and Ichirin shared confused glances.

 _"Did I miss something? Why's Junpei so flustered all of a sudden?"_

Yaya's smirk remained. "Oh, you know all too well, Junpei..." Her voice was playful, yet deep, for a moment before it switched back to its usual tone. "But enough about that! Let's go find Kenji!"

* * *

If there was anything that Kenji loved as much as an inside scoop, if not more so, it was the sweet taste of sugar. And being surrounded by all sorts of delicious, sugary pastries made the journalist feel like he had died and went to his own personal heaven. The very first bite of a crisp, cheese danish riled him up like a kid on Christmas morning, and soon he found himself indulging on as many sweets as he could. He wiped a few crumbs from his lips and licked stray jelly from his fingers as he reached for a chocolate doughnut, one of the many treats stacked up on a silver platter.

"Dang, this place has some of the best sweets around! I'll have to add this to my report of Hope's Peak Shopping Center..." He said to no one in particular other than himself. As he slipped the doughnut halfway into his mouth he pulled out his black pen and opened his hand to scribble down a few notes, specifically about the junk food.

After he finished the doughnut, he was ready to snack on another when he heard a new voice.

"The beautiful, ace detective looked in awe at the variety of goods on display behind the glass, but she couldn't help but laugh at the boy stuffing his face with those same sweets." A young woman stepped up to the counter, stroking her chin as she observed the journalist.

Kenji tilted his head, chewing up the rest of the doughtnut before swallowing. "Are you talking about me?"

"Naturally, the detective thought to herself, he was the only one present, so who else could she be referring to?" She crossed her arms over her chest, grinning confidently.

 _'Why is she speaking in the third person? Does she think she's some kind of narrator?'_ The journalist scratched his cheek, perplexed. Kenji paused. ' _Now that I think about it...'_

"Hey, I think I've heard about you before...but I can't quite figure out how..." He raised a finger. "What's your name? You look very familiar..."

"Hm?" The girl was leaning over the counter, head resting in her hands as she supported herself with her elbows. "The young boy asked me for my name…" She continued her self-narration. "And I just did as he asked, no reason to deny him. Emica Ogasawara. Ultimate Police Dick."

"That's it! Now I remember!" Kenji grinned, a small lightbulb flickering on over his head. "But, I'm not sure I remember your title as a 'police dick.'"

"Oh! Well, if you want to be technical, I'm the Ultimate Police Detective. I just prefer to be referred to as the Ultimate Police Dick to have a more old-school, Sherlock Holmes asthetic, you know?"

* * *

 **EMICA OGASAWARA**

 **ULTIMATE POLICE DETECTIVE**

* * *

Emica was around the same height as Kenji, but she had a much thinner and curvier form by comparison. She boasted a beautiful set of bright, sapphire eyes that contrasted with the scarlet hair that she let down past her shoulders. Small, light freckles dotted her cheeks. Kenji could also note that her chest was rather large. Not that he was intentionally staring, of course. Yeah, definitely not staring...Moving on...

She wore a black, button-up dress that stopped just above her knees, with cute red buttons and small breast pocket holding a magnifying glass. To add on to the black attire, she also wore a pair of black high heels, and leather gloves that had traces of white powder on them. There was a matching bracelet on her right wrist. Both of Emica's ears were pierced, with two small, teardrop-shaped earrings. Good lord, that's a lot of black.

"That's right, you're the best detective around! Oh, this is fantastic!" Kenji may have been too excited to meet Emica, as his hand crushed the jelly doughnut he had recently grabbed into mush. He didn't seem to mind though, wiping the fruit filling on his pant leg before pulling out his ink pen. "So, it's true that you solved the murder of Thomas Douglas, just within the span of thirty minutes?" He asked, maybe a bit too enthusiastically for a topic as disturbing as murder.

Emica didn't seem to mind, however, as she pridefully put her hands on her hips. "The detective could only grin at the praise she had received, for it was well justified. There was no case she couldn't crack, courtesy of her ace skills on the field, and her good looks to boot." Her eyes glanced down to her chest.

Kenji looked up from the newly-written notes on his palm and followed her gaze, unaware of what he was being set up for.

"Oh, what's this?" The police detective smirked, noticing the quick peek Kenji took. "The young boy seemed to have matured into a young man as I found his eyes targeting my bosom. I wasn't exactly displeased by his actions, I'd been quite used to events like this back in the precinct. Therefore, I remained calm and kept my stature."

"H-Huh?!" Kenji's face lit up like a match, his cheeks very red. "I-I wasn't staring, honest!"

"Mmhmm..." Emica's smug grin only grew, her hand slinking up to the tray of pastries beside him. "I'll believe that when you give me one of these." Her finger sank into the doughy side of a velvet cupcake.

"Y-You could've just asked for one, you know?" The boy gulped, watching as she plucked the cake from the platter, and went to work peeling off the wrapper.

"She could've simply asked for the cupcake," She said, wadding the paper wrapper and tossing it into the nearest trash can, "but it was quite amusing for her to see the boy, who she now identified as Ultimate Journalist Kenji Yonezawa, become redder than a strawberry." She took a small bite of the cupcake, licking small bits of icing and crumbs from her lips.

"U-Um, so what's with the narration? Is it for the same reason you prefer to be called a Police Dick?" Kenji asked, wanting to bring the conversation to a new subject.

"Heh, I guess you can say that. I like to feel like I'm the protagonist of a crime drama, so I love speaking in the third person." Emica shrugged with a small chuckle. "Sorry if you're finding it annoying. It's just how I roll, sometimes."

"Oh no, I wasn't saying it was bad!" He quickly replied. "If anything, it was really interesting!"

"Oh, you're too nice. You know that?" She gave a small smile, her face flushing. "It's not everyday you see someone comment positively on your quirks, you know? Most just think I'm some idiot." She scoffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "The nerve, I swear."

"Hm? I hope I'm not interrupting anything, you two!"

"Huh?" Emica asked, perking up at the voice, her and Kenji looking around for the source. "Who said that?"

 _'Wait, is that-?'_

"It was me, silly!" Suddenly a familiar figure dropped down from the ceiling, landing safely on his feet between the two Ultimates, causing Emica to yelp in surprise. "I'm not quite sure we've met! The Phantom Kitsune, Noritaka Fukuyo, at your service!" He said with a cocky smirk, with an equally arrogant salute.

Emica, on the other hand, was still recovering from the near-heart attack the thief had given her.

"W-Where did you even come from?" Kenji was quick on the draw to ask the most important question. He looked up at the ceiling, finding a small opening leading into a vent shaft.

"Well, I suppose you COULD say I teleported. Buuuut, I guess you already figured it all out, hm?" Noritaka replied, with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"But...how'd you manage to do that so quietly?"

"Um, have you forgotten? You're talking to the Ultimate Thief, this is child's play to me! Though it isn't too late to back out on how I may have teleported, you know!" He laughed, swinging his cape like a phantom to make himself appear more mysterious. "Because you can still totally do that!"

"What a fascinating experience..." Emica spoke, once again back to narrating herself in the third-person. "Meeting someone as infamous as the Phantom Kitsune himself was something the detective considered as a milestone in her career. It's not everyday you come face to face with the Ultimate Thief in such a casual encounter."

"And you must be Emica Ogasawara. I've heard quite a bit about you!" Nori turned on his heels, still holding his smirk. "Ultimate Police Detective, if I recall correctly?"

"You would be correct. However, I prefer to be called the Ultimate Police Dick." Emica tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

He snorted. "…Oh wow, I've had the honour of encountering loooads of cops, but never one with the title of…pfff…Ultimate Police Dick." He was doing a very poor job at suppressing a snicker. "Ahh, well, Miss Dick, think you can lock me up behind bars that easy?"

Emica put a finger to her lips, thinking of what to say next. "She was certain it couldn't be so hard to catch the boy. Unfortunately, she didn't bring any handcuffs with her. Though now she knew to prepare herself in advance for next time." She cocked an eyebrow.

Nori tilted his head, eyes glinting from behind his mask. "I'm looking forward to seeing you try."

"And succeed." She gave a toothy grin in return.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Came another familiar voice from the side. "Seems like our friendly neighborhood Phantom Kitsune has appeared once again, along with a new face!" Yaya smiled as she walked up the counter. Trailing behind were the others.

"Ah, so it appears we cross paths yet again!" Nori leaned forward and bowed. "And with perfect timing, too! Hey Kai, catch this!" A small object flew over everyone's head and landed in the mime artist's gloved hands.

* * *

Kai smiled to himself, feeling a small hint of hope as he watched Noritaka reach into his satchel and pull out his coin pouch. His heart fluttered as it soared toward him, but it all vanished the moment he caught the bag between his hands. It felt light, much lighter than he remembered. Hope was replaced with dread. The reason why was simple.

 _'No, please don't tell me he actually stole everything! No, no no no!'_

In a panic, his hands clumsily pulled down the zipper. Much to his dismay, every last coin and bill was gone. But in their place was a single rubber duck, which stared back at Kai with its painted, black eyes.

 _'Of course, why did I even bother thinking otherwise...'_ Kai frowned at the small toy. He immediately felt stupid for believing that someone like the Ultimate Thief would give stolen money back to someone. ' _Would make as much sense as playing a game of tag with a rock...'_

"Damn..." Junpei looked over Kai's shoulder as he held the small duck in his hand. "That's...low. Like, a Shiny Geodude using Self-Destruct kind of low."

"I mean, you have to admit it is kinda cute." Shun said with a chuckle. "I used to have one with this adorable sailor's hat on, and another with an even cuter propeller beanie, and-"

"That's great and all, Shun." Yaya cut the volleyball star off mid-sentence. "But you're not helping."

"S-Sorry..."

"How humorous." Emica spoke. "The Phantom Kitsune has proven to be quite the nuisance, having spent the young mime's hard-earned cash on a simple bathtime buddy. All the more reason for the Ultimate Police Dick to apprehend him, and bring him to justice."

"Oh ho ho ho, bold words, Sherlock." Noritaka folded his arms behind his head, wearing the cockiest of grins. "You'll find it rather impossible to contain the Phantom Kitsune!"

"S-So, you spent all of Kai's money on that?" Ichirin asked, pointing to the rubber duck.

"Hm? Nah, that wasn't even a fraction of everything he had in that pouch. Doesn't mean I'll be giving the rest back, though. Not a chance, heh." He winked. He was enjoying every second he looked into Kai's angry eyes.

 _'Now he's just asking for someone to punch him. I'm now wishing Kei had actually got him, it it would've shut him up...'_

"W-What about my jewelry?"

"Hm?" Noritaka reached into his bag and pulled out a golden necklace that was beyond average. It was absolutely stunning, a beautiful piece of the shiny metal, decorated with even more gorgeous gemstones that possessed a brilliant luster in the lights above them. "Oh, like this? What about it?"

"C-Could I have it back, please?" She reached out for the necklace.

"Haha, nope!" It was yanked up out of her grasp. "Are you kidding? Compared to Kai's pocket change, I can make an absolute fortune out of something made by the Ultimate Jeweler herself!"

"B-But..." Tears welled in her eyes.

"Heheheh, so what are you going to do now? Go crying to Mummy and Daddy Richie because the big bad Phantom Kitsune stole your jewellery? Oh nooo, I'm totally shaking in my boots over here!"

Junpei grunted, balling his fists at his side.

"Buuut, you know what they say: Finders keepers, losers weepers. That's just how it goes, princess, so you better have your tissues ready!"

"Noritaka, that's enough."

"Eh?"

"How exactly can you gloat over making someone cry?" Junpei snapped, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. "Stop, right now. Before I do exactly what Kei should've done earlier, and I won't hold back. I will not hesitate to give you the Serious Punch you deserve, right in the teeth."

"Oh my, quite the white knight." Yaya giggled.

"J-Junpei, p-please don't...Please..." Ichirin pleaded, hiding her teary eyes behind her hands.

The Phantom Kitsune only yawned. "You know, you actually sounded scary for a moment. Seriously, you were doing just fine, but you screwed it all up with that anime reference." He inspected his nails. "But if it keeps you from geeking out on me..." The necklace was dropped around Ichirin's neck. "Here. Take it."

Ichirin looked up, face stained with tears. "R-Really?"

"Ugh, just keep his anime references away from me. Being swarmed by nerdiness is a fate worse than imprisonment..."

Kenji chuckled. "Ooh, this should make a killer article in the paper. 'Phantom Kitsune Gives Up Stolen Jewelry Because of Anime' sounds like a good title. What do you guys think?"

"Maybe edit that a small bit, and you've got a story worth its weight in gold." Emica suggested, nudging his side with her elbow. "Trust me, I know we can get that story published in a heartbeat!"

"I would definitely give that a read!" Yaya smirked, eyeing the Ultimate Thief.

"Tch, you really think one little mishap will bring the Phantom Kitsune down? Guess again! People will let go in two, three days tops! Especially since I can just rob their houses overnight!"

"I'm sure no one is just gonna forget about how you just gave back something you stole, because you were afraid that Junpei would just keep speaking the weeaboo language." Yaya stared at the eyes behind Nori's mask, hands on hips.

"Yea-" The personal trained stopped. "Hey!"

"T-Thank you, Noritaka..." Ichirin dried her eyes on her sleeve, smiling weakly yet sincerely as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't ever mention this to me again." Although he tried to sound like this didn't bother him, deep down Kai knew...

 _'Seems like this is going to bother him all day. Finally, it's his turn to feel annoyed.'_

Kai held up the small duck in his hands. He almost didn't notice Shun was also looking at the toy until he spoke up.

"So, um...are you going to keep it? I-I mean, I'm not trying to be selfish, but I would be happy to take it off your hands, if you don't want it of course." He scratched behind his ear.

Kai nodded. "I think I'll hold onto it, Shun. Thanks, anyway."

"Ah, alright. I was just being curious, 'cuz it looked like you weren't happy with it."

 _'Well, I'm not happy. But in all fairness, it is a little cute...'_ The duck squeaked when he squeezed it. He gave a small smile as he then tucked it underneath his beret. _'But more importantly, I need to talk to Kenji...'_ He slipped behind the counter, where the journalist continued to speak with Emica, Yaya and Nori regarding the potential newspaper.

"Huh? What is it, Kai?" He asked when the mime tapped him on the shoulder.

"We need to talk."

"Oh, what about?"

"Oooo, keeping secrets, are you?" Yaya grinned.

Kai ignored her as he pulled Kenji to the farthest corner of the shop, where a wide selection of breads was on display. He flipped to the back page, and presented the strange '11037' message.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Explain why this is in your notepad."

"I-I don't know! I don't remember even writing that down!" Kenji ran a hand through his messy hair, only making it more unkempt. "I just thought by some miracle you knew the code to those padlocks and wrote it down...So you're telling me that wasn't you?"

"No, that's why I'm asking you. But if you didn't write it down, then who did?"

"I'm really not sure..."

 **BANG!**

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

"Huh?" Kenji jumped.

"So it seems like someone must still be locked up inside one of the shops." Yaya commented, looking in the direction of it. "And they must be really want to be let out. They're knocking pretty hard, you know."

"Guess it isn't doing us any good standing around here then, huh?" Noritaka smirked.

"You probably just want to see if they have anything you can steal." Junpei groaned.

"Guilty as charged." The thief purred.

"We should probably go help them, then..." Shun added.

"Alright, alright. But first, I should probably get familiar with you." Emica said, lifting a finger.

"Sorry, Kai. We can try and figure this out later..." Kenji shrugged with a weak smile.

 _'Yeah, right...'_ Despite how sincere he sounded, Kai doubted that immensely. ' _But there's nothing I can do about that, I guess...'_

* * *

After being acquainted with Emica, the now-party-of-eight made their way out of the supermarket. Following the source of the racket led them to a clothing department across the corridor from the jewelry store Ichirin had said she woke up in. It was also a fairly short walk, only a few dozen paces from the market. During which Kai trudged behind the group, staring at the notepad. It only brought back those same questions he had asked himself earlier, and it only made his head pound just thinking about them.

 _'How come I'm the only one who seems concerned about this?'_

He looked at the others. Their conversations were a mix of topics, which made it troubling to hear the fullest of them all. Best he could hear was bits and pieces of each one. Despite this, he still felt the need to give his own thoughts to every one of them.

"...th-this was one of my first works. I-I hold it so close because a f-friend of mine helped me make it..." Ichirin was discussing with Yaya about the necklace Noritaka had stolen and returned to her. The jeweler was holding it rather close to her chest.

 _'Hm, I wonder who this friend is...and what they're up to now...'_

"...so I suggest stretching your limb as much as possible. Limbering up is crucial for any sport." Junpei was giving Shun fitness advice, occasionally taking a moment to stretch his arms.

 _'Yeah, right. He's probably just showing off...'_

"...so it's pretty obvious I want to write down any thoughts you may have when we finally catch you." Kenji waggled a pen in Noritaka's direction, he and Emica chatting about when they get him locked behind bars.

 _'I'm sure he'll find a way out, but if he gets what's coming to him it'll be worth it...I hope...'_

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The racket had calmed down as the group made their walk there, and it was only until they got within feet of the shop that the booming sound of smashing metal echoing across the hall once again. At the first moment it started back up Shun rushed past everyone and up to the shutter.

"Um, hello?! Is there anyone out there?! If so, let me go!" A female's voice screamed, her fists pounding on the sheet frantically. "I just can't stand another second here!"

"Miss, I can assure you that everything will be fine." Another voice, a male's, spoke. "Just take deep breaths, and try to calm-"

"I told you to stay back! Don't take another step closer!"

"U-Um...are you two alright in there?" Shun was afraid to ask.

"Well, actually there are three of us. But regardless, we are all okay."

"Huh? Finally! What the Hell took you so long?! Didn't you hear anything for the past three minutes?!"

"H-Hey, relax!" The volleyball player was shaking a bit from the sudden hostility. "We're going to get you out of there!"

"Please do excuse her. She's feeling...trapped, I suppose..."

"Of course I'm feeling trapped! I usually don't complain about being brought to a clothing store, but being locked up inside of one is outside of my comfort zone! I just want to get out, and go home!"

"Don't worry. Hey, can someone tell them the combination?" Shun looked over his shoulder.

"11037." Yaya obliged.

"11037?" The male voice asked. "Okay, let me give it a try..."

"And hurry it up, will you?"

There was a pause as they worked on the padlock.

"That voice..." Kenji whispered. "Where have I heard it before? I swear, her voice sounds so familiar. Like, it's on the tip of my tongue but I can't figure it out..."

"Is that so?" Yaya asked.

"Hold on. That's..."

There was a small click, and soon the metal shutter was rising and revealing those on the other side. And in that moment, the journalist had become quiet, paralyzed with shock.

"No way..."

"Finally, I'm out of that mess-"

"SANA KASAI?!"

Kenji acted without warning, and in mere seconds he was already swarming the woman, speaking far too fast for anyone to possible comprehend. It was like someone had hit the fast forward button on him. Anything the group could understand included "Sonnet Sana", "big fan", and "acapella".

"Hey, hey, hey! Hands off, hands off!" She tried to swat him away, but it was much easier said than done, like trying to swat a fly. "Gross, gross, gross! Get away from me!"

"Oh my." Yaya couldn't find much to say. "He's...got quite the energy."

"It was quite the show," Emica started, observing the scene, "To watch Kenji Yonezawa become an uncontrollable fanboy upon meeting someone as famous and well-known as Sana Kasai. However, the young detective had to admit it was coming off as...disturbing."

"Though in all fairness, it isn't such an easy feat to achieve. It's as difficult as mastering Ultra Instinct." Junpei commented.

"U-Um...sure?" Ichirin's expression soured.

"Sana Kasai, eh?" Noritaka was rubbing his hands together greedily. "Oh, you know for a fact that a big name like that is STACKED with riches."

"Please don't tell me you're actually thinking about that..." Shun sighed.

"Okay, then I won't tell you!"

Kai only watched with a puzzled expression. ' _Sana Kasai, who's that? Why is Kenji so hyped up about her?'_ He didn't quite understand. And this cluelessness didn't seem to go unnoticed, as he found himself just as cornered by Kenji as Sana was.

"Really, Kai? You can't look at me like that and tell me you don't know who Sonnet Sana is! Everybody knows who she is, she's that famous!"

"Well, I don't think Kai could tell you even if he wanted to, Kenji." Noritaka smirked.

 _'That freaking smirk! Urgh, that freaking smirk!'_

Kai held back his malice towards the Phantom Kitsune, and looked back to Kenji. "Sorry, but I really don't. Whoops?"

"Tch, expected from a talentless worm." Sana scoffed, folding her arms over her chest like he had struck a serious nerve.

 _'I'm sorry?'_

"Anyways, I'm Sana Kasai, Ultimate Acapella Singer, otherwise known as Sonnet Sana. Unless you're a fan of mine which you clearly aren't, if you want to talk to me, subscribe to my channel and follow me on all of my social medias, thank you."

* * *

 **SANA KASAI**

 **ULTIMATE ACAPELLA SINGER**

* * *

While he had never heard of her until now, Kai did have to admit that Sana was rather gorgeous, so it started to become clear to him why Kenji was visibly gushing. She possessed a thin and curvaceous physique. Her face was distinctly heart-shaped, blessed with smooth lightly tanned skin, free of blemishes or imperfections. Her two dark yellow, almond-shaped eyes were highlighted with black mascara and eyeliner, and they seem to pierce through him with her sharp gaze. She had long, curly dark orange hair that faded into bright red at the tips, which ended at the middle of her back.

She wore a single shoulder strap dress that had a similar color shtick as her hair. The upper half of the dress was white, but slowly faded into a dark red once it reached the layered skirt that stopped above her knees. Her feet were clad in brown, open-toed sandals, and an orange ribbon was tied into a bow around her ankles. Orange, transparent stockings reached up her legs. Around her neck rested a golden necklace with a white rose pendant. She wore a small pearl bracelet with a pink charm in the shape of a burning music note on her left wrist, and a white, diamond headpiece with matching daisies rested in her hair.

"Oh, this is like a dream come true! I have finally managed to meet the legendary Sonnet Sana!" Kenji was still excited, and in half a second had clicked his ink pen. "I just HAVE to get an interview with you! Please!"

Sana only backed away when he stepped closer, visibly cringing. "Gross..." She had taken in the blurry mess of blue ink across his palm and down his arm, the small bits of pastry on his jeans and splotch of fruit jam and ink on his jeans, and his muddy boots. "Do you always leave your house looking like...THAT?"

"Well, not always, but there's always time to clean up after getting that inside scoop. An inside scoop will never wait for you to take a bath, you know!" He didn't even seem bothered by her disgust.

"I'm sorry Kenji, but you really could use a change of clothes. 'Cuz, and I don't mean to offend, but you look like you ran through traffic." Shun suggested.

"See? He gets it." Sana rolled her eyes. "Clean yourself up and look more presentable, and I MIGHT consider letting you interview me, got it?"

"Hey, that's better than nothing! But could I get a small prelude beforehand?" The journalist grinned.

"No."

"Aw, come on!"

 _'He really is persistent..._ ' Kai thought to himself. It was almost hilarious to watch Kenji plead to her for a small taste of her history and career, and he would've laughed if he could.

"Um, excuse me?"

There came that other voice, which Kai had almost forgot about in the midst of Kenji's excitement. He turned around, and was greeted with a girl as still as a board staring blankly at him from behind a pair of sunglasses.

 _'Wait a minute. Something doesn't seem right here.'_ He was confused, because he very clearly remembered the voice being male...

"I'm down here."

Kai's eyes flickered down to his feet, where he saw a small, mechanized figure tugging at his left pant leg.

"Greetings, and howdy!" The small machine waved a tiny hand.

Kai hesitated before he slowly waved back.

"I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced yet! So, allow me: I'm Tetsuro, the Ultimate Roboticist! And behind me is my daughter, Tetsuko! Pleased to meet you!"

* * *

 **TETSURO**

 **ULTIMATE ROBOTICIST**

* * *

One notable feature Kai could see was that Tetsuro was incredibly short in size, and made Yaya look like a titan by comparison. His silver, metallic body beared a similar resemblance to a sentai, with small horns poking out on both sides of his head. Kai was surprised, as he didn't think a robot could be given the title of 'Ultimate', especially one such as Ultimate Roboticist. But Kai shoved that thought aside.

Tetsuko, thankfully, wasn't as short as her 'father'. In fact, she was much taller, standing just two inches shorter than Kai. Even more unlike Tetsuro, it was much harder to tell she was a robot. Compared to her creator's smaller, stockier build, Tetsuko was built more like your average high school student. Although, she still did have two small horns similar to Tetsuro's poking out from her bubblegum-pink hair, which was tied into two ponytails on opposite sides of her head. She wore a large, dark velvet jacket over a faded pink blouse and light pink skirt, which ended a fair bit above her knees.

"What about you? What's your name?"

Kai really didn't want to reply, but Tetsuko's hard gaze invoked a response out of fear. "Kai Shiguro."

"Hm? You're not much of a talker?" Tetsuro tilted his head, seeing his handwriting.

Kai shook his head.

"Sorry if I'm pushing the subject, but is it because you're just unable to, or because you're in-character? You are a mime artist, looking at your outfit, correct?"

"I'd rather not answer, I'm sorry."

"Of course, of course." The small robot nodded in understanding.

"Wow...how fascinating..." Kenji said quietly, laying on his stomach to get a very close look at him. "I've never expected the Ultimate Roboticist to be a robot himself!" Slowly he lifted a hand and gently poked Tetsuro in the chest with the tip of his pen. "Quite ironic, but very intriguing-"

Crunch.

The boy's eyes widened, and he let out a very girlish squeal as Tetsuko's foot came down hard onto his hand. He had tried to pull out from underneath, but she seemed to be applying all of her weight, as neither her nor his hand budged. "Ow! Owowowowow! Uncle, I'm crying uncle! I surrender, just please don't crush my hand!"

"Tetsuko! Don't be violent!" Tetsuro looked up at his taller creation.

She looked down at her creator, and begrudgingly lifted her foot. Kenji fell back on his rear, and clutched his hand to his chest, hissing in pain.

"I'm terribly sorry for that, um..."

"Kenji..." The journalist spoke through gritted teeth.

"Right, Kenji. Tetsuko has a habit of being...hostile towards other people, if she thinks they're a threat to both of us." The robot bowed apologetically. At least, that's what Kai guessed that was the intention.

 _'How can I tell when robots express their feelings?'_

"I see, I see..." He looked down at his hand. "Well, it doesn't seem like anything is broken. I should be fine. But I have to wonder, why is Tetsuko so quiet? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Ah, that's perfectly alright! You see, Tetsuko's a bit...rude, so I mute her for that..." Tetsuko only stared at him as he spoke to the two.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense..." Kenji said, massaging his hurting hand.

Their conversation was cut short with a loud, nearly ear-splitting shriek coming from Sana. Everyone's eyes were all on her as she tried desperately to grab her diamond headpiece, which was now held firmly in Noritaka's hands.

"Give it back, now!" She threw her arm forward, hoping to swipe it back.

"Ah ah ah! I don't think so!" The thief pulled it out of reach, Sana's hands grabbing nothing but empty air. "This pretty little thing will make quite the pretty penny, if you don't know!"

"But it's MINE! Do you even have the smallest idea who you're stealing from?" She stamped her foot, before giving a second attempt to take her accessory back.

"Yes, I do! Sana Kasai, one of the richest and most pampered ladies in the music industry!" Noritaka sneered as he easily dodged her advance, before showcasing an impressive feat of acrobatics. He soared right over her head, and landed clean on his feet.

"He must've used a Super Speed Potion or something!" Junpei exclaimed, very clearly fascinated.

"How? Wha? What does that even mean?!" Sana was at a loss for words.

"Nee hee hee!" The boy giggled as he rushed up to the robot duo. "Hope you don't mind if I take your little toy!" And in a moment's notice he had scooped up Tetsuro and held him in his hands. No sooner than he did do this, Tetsuko's head jerked in his direction attentively. And while Kai couldn't confirm this, two small, red orbs glowed from behind her sunglasses.

The small roboticist squeaked as he found himself in the thief's arms. "H-Hey! Please let me go!" He wiggled a bit, but Noritaka's grip was firm on his body.

"U-Um, N-Nori...I don't think that's a good idea..." Ichirin whimpered. Apparently she also saw Tetsuko's glowing eyes.

"Hm...you're right, Ichirin..." The Phantom Kitsune feigned guilt, before returning to his cocky grin. "I knew I should've also taken those snazzy shades, too! Don't mind if I do!" He lunged forward, one hand reaching for Tetsuko's face while the other held Tetsuro close to him.

Once his hand came into contact with her cheek, there was a blur of movement so quick the thief couldn't process until it was too late, when he landed flat on his back several feet away from where he had once stood. All the air was forced from his lungs from the impact with the tiled floor, and Tetsuro was back in his daughter's arms.

Everyone else was motionless, their mouths gaping open. There was still silence until Yaya doubled over, in a fit of laughter.

"Ough...what...happened?" Noritaka choked out as he struggled to pull himself up, as every part of his body ached.

"You...were thrown...like a ragdoll." Shun didn't sound confident in his answer.

Kai couldn't even believe what he had seen. He had watched Tetsuko grab the Phantom Kitsune by the wrist, and with relative ease throw the boy away like he weighed nothing to her. With only one hand, for that matter. ' _That's...that's terrifying...'_

"How embarrassing..." Emica giggled. "For the second time in one day, the Phantom Kitsune suffered another humiliating blunder, but this time it proved he wasn't as slick as he may have thought he was. Oh, the press is gonna hear about this one..."

"What do you suggest the headline for this story should be?" Kenji chuckled.

"A-Aren't you even the least bit worried?" Ichirin piper up, upset. "He could be seriously hurt, a-and you are laughing at it..."

"Does it matter? He had every second of it coming to him, for being a little scamp." Sana scoffed, pushing past the group and making his way to the fallen thief. "Now, I'm going to take back what's mine."

She bent over to claim her headpiece, but as her fingers were close to it, Noritaka jumped back up onto his feet, and pulled it away from her. "Hah! You really thought a minor setback would keep me down for long? Think again, Sonnet Sana!" He turned and pointed at Tetsuko. "And you! This is not the end! You haven't seen the last of the Phantom Kitsune!"

With a swing of his cape, he turned on his heels and scrambled away.

"Hey! Come back here!" Sana screamed as she chased after him, even if she wasn't going to catch him anytime soon.

"Wait for me!" Kenji followed suit, clicking his pen. "I need that prelude, please!"

Kai blinked, watching as the three vanished from view.

"U-Um, do you think she'll get her tiara back?" Ichirin asked.

"I'm not sure. She doesn't have Junpei to anime-speak Noritaka into giving it back, haha!" Yaya snickered.

"H-Hey!"

"And Kenji probably won't get that scoop, either. But who knows, it's all fairly surprising what happens here!" The grandmaster smiled.

"Hey, may I ask something, everyone?" Tetsuro spoke up, being held comfortably in Tetsuko's arms. "Does...does anyone know how they got here? Because I don't remember anything before waking up in this clothing department..."

Shun scratched his knuckles. "No, I don't. Sorry."

"Why do you ask?" Junpei asked.

"Well, have you ever thought how strange how we're here, for some unknown reason? And with no memory, either?"

"You know, Kai did mention this to us earlier. Truth be told, I haven't really thought about it much." Yaya shrugged.

"I-It couldn't be anything t-terrible, right?" Ichirin was wringing her hands.

"Anything could happen, given the circumstances. I mean, we wake up locked up in shops, and there are no one else here but us. Is it too much to ask for answers?"

Suddenly, there was a small crackling overhead, coming from an unseen speaker.

"Ahem, ahem! This is a test of Hope's Peak Shopping Center's audio devices and speaker systems. If you can hear me, would you kindly escort yourself to the food court? I'm sure you have questions about this place, and I'm more than glad enough to answer them! If you are still inconveniently locked inside one of our stores, the combination needed to remove those dreaded padlocks is '11037.' Get to it, and don't be dozing off like a certain cashier! This has been an announcement brought to you by HPSC. I will see you all veeeery shortly!"

"Who was that?" Junpei looked around. "That didn't sound natural, at all..."

 _'You aren't questioning how they clearly know Anzu is here? Or how they mentioned that combination?'_

"There's no way we'll know until we get a move on. Come on, it will be alright!" Yaya cheered.

Kai had major doubts with that statement, but held his tongue.

"I agree!" Tetsuro added. "Let's get to it!"

"The ace police dick agreed as well." Emica also added. "You couldn't get your questions answered if you don't go."

"Alright, but I should probably get Anzu, in case he didn't hear the announcement." Shun gave a weak smile. "Better safe than sorry!"


	6. Introduction (NEW!)

**Hello! I have risen from the abyss of inactivity to bring you guys some content.**

 **Things have been pretty hectic over the course of the last few months, and it's definitely had me in a bit of a slump. I've definitely had the opportunity to write now that I've got this new laptop. But to tell you the truth I've been buried under a mountain of work and lack of motivation. I've even contemplated just giving up and leaving this to collect even more dust. But giving some time to myself thinking on it, I decided against it. I'm back to give this story what it deserves.**

 **With that out of the way, let me get into the meat and potatoes of what's going to happen here:**

 **Starting with the bulk of it all, I've decided that everything (from the introduction up to where the prologue had been cut off) will be rewritten. Put simply, I wasn't feeling proud of what I have written (even with BETA READING from the excellent Prince Pokepersona), and I've noticed a few things I could have done better with it. Rewriting this will give me the chance of fix some mistakes, and experiment with something new.**

 **While I'm fairly sure there isn't, there may be some wondering why this is being added to this story. Long story short I don't feel like deleting this and making a brand new story. Everything that's come before this will be marked as "(OLD)" so please disregard them, as they'll have no canon to this improved version.**

 **With all of that, I'll go ahead and shush so you can get to reading the new and improved "Despair's Shopping Center."**

* * *

It was a day just like every other.

Kai leaned forward, holding his beret out towards a small crowd showering him with applause. Dozens of hands reached out and, one by one, placed a small sum of bills and coins until the cap was stuffed to the brim. Once the crowd gave one final round of applause, they separated and went about with the rest of their day.

Now alone, he sat on the bench behind him with his beret in his lap. Silently he picked through his earnings for today's show. It wasn't much, as usual, but it would be enough to stay another day at the downtown motel and barely have enough for lunch.

It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was simple. Simple enough for **Kai Shiguro**.

Pocketing the money from today's show in the front of his overalls, the boy pulled out a small towel and went to work scrubbing off a daily application of makeup from his face. The cloth was smudged with black, white and red when he was done. He would wash it out later when he got back to his hotel room. But for the time being, he needed to find a place to eat for lunch.

As he stood, a news van charged down the street at breakneck speeds. Litter scattered across the sidewalk as the vehicle sped down the road and eventually disappeared from sight. Kai watched, puzzled. _"Hm. Wonder what that's all about?"_

Conveniently, almost ridiculously so, a sheet of paper was picked up by the wind and hovered past his head. It would've sailed over the railing and into the water below had he not grabbed it. The flyer read as followed:

 _"COME ONE, COME ALL TO THE GRAND OPENING OF **HOPE'S PEAK SHOPPING CENTER** , THE BIGGEST SHOPPING DISTRICT BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR VERY OWN **HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY!** "_

 _"This new shopping district resides down the road from our prestigous high school, and boasts a size that spans several city blocks! With dozens, if not hundreds, of shops to suit all demographics, five-star eateries from around the globe, and a mass selection of activity centers for all manner of hobbies, we take pride in bringing the public one of the best shopping centers the world has to offer! Come be a part of our extraordinary grand opening! It's simply to die for!"_

Kai scratched his cheek once he finished reading, and looked to where the news van had passed by. Sure enough, it was heading to where the grand high school and its now-neighboring mall district stood. He definitely had heard of Hope's Peak, but the new Shopping Center was new to him. Naturally, his curiousity had been piqued.

He looked back at the paper. Maybe he could find a place to eat there?

 _"No...it might be out of my price range. I might not have enough for another night at the motel..."_

He bit his lip, struggling to make a decision. It would be a new thing to experience. It could be fun, too.

 _"I mean, it is Hope's Peak..."_

Kai shook his head and crumbled up the flyer. There was no way he could bring himself to do it. Or at least, he thought he couldn't until he went to throw the flyer in the trash bin.

 _"Come on Kai, you said you can't do it, didn't you?. So why are you still holding it?"_

Kai shoved aside his thoughts and opened the crumpled up paper and read it once again. He looked back at the newly-built Hope's Peak Shopping Center with a firm expression.

 _"I can do this. I can do this."_

* * *

 _"I can't do this. I CAN'T do this."_

Kai hadn't even arrived for ten minutes, and already he was regretting his decision. There were people everywhere. They stood eagerly outside the closed doors, ready for when they finally open to the public.

While trying to avoid anyone's gaze, Kai saw the news van from earlier parked at the far end of the lot. A slender woman spoke into a microphone in front of a cameraman while a boy in a cream-colored jacket scribbled down notes furiously on a notepad. He could just faintly hear what the female reporter was saying.

"Are we rolling? Okay! We're here at the grand opening of Hope's Peak Shopping Center, interviewing future patrons..."

Kai dared to step just a little closer. He was fairly intrigued to hear the report. All seemed pretty well...

...but then the reporter and the cameraman turned to face him, and Kai stopped. He quickly looked away.

 _"Please do not come over here...PLEASE do not come over here..."_

"You there, sir!" He heard footstops coming in his direction. His heart started beating rapidly.

 _"No no no no...Please no..."_

Kai swallowed hard and turned to see a microphone held close to his face and a camera pointed at him. "May we get your thoughts on Hope's Peak Shopping Center, and how you plan on spending your first time here?" The woman asked, grinning ear to ear in a way that set Kai on edge. His hands felt clammy, his legs weak.

 _"I...I shouldn't have come. I should've just went back to the motel..."_

"Sir?"

Her smile started to fade as Kai stood there silently. Nervously, Kai shook his head as quickly as he could, earning puzzled looks from both the reporter and the man behind the camera. They looked at each other, and shrugged.

"I see. Well...thank you for your...time?" The woman responded, unsure of how to respond to that. She quickly forgot about it, though, as she spotted a married couple with kids. "Oh! Hello, excuse me ma'am!"

Kai watched as they shuffled past him and approached the family of five. With no more attention on him, he could finally relax.

 _"Thank goodness..."_

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME GUYS! WAIT FOR MEEEEEEEE-"

Kai's eyes widened as he was suddenly knocked aside flat on his bottom. Brushing the hair out of his face, he looked up and saw the boy from the news van following after the news crew.

"OH GOSH, I'M SORRY!" He shouted over his shoulder without stopping.

Kai rolled his eyes as he got back up and dusted himself off. As he fixed his hair, he noticed that his beret had fallen off when he was pushed aside. He brushed off the dirt with his gloved hands before putting it back on. _"The nerve of some people, I swear..."_

Once everything was normal again, Kai lurked away from the more crowded area and sat next to the bushes. He silently observed the news reporter as they interviewed a small group of eager patrons. After what felt like hours, but in reality only twenty minutes, all turned quiet as a man walked out of the building. He brandished a pair of oversized, golden scissors. Behind him were several officers and guards that ushered the mass of people back.

Clearing his throat, the man's voice boomed over the silent lot.

"I would love to thank you all for coming! Now, you all have waited a long time, haven't you?"

The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts, bringing a smile to the man's face.

"Of course you have, but now it's time. Ten long years to bring this dream into a reality. I am proud to announce the grand opening of Hope's Peak Shopping Center..." He raised the large scissors and held them to the delicate ribbon. "...has begun!"

The ribbon was cut in two, and the crowd roared with excitement. It was so loud Kai covered his ears and grit his teeth.

 _"This better be worth everything..."_

Once the many sets of doors have opened, people started flooding in. People were pushing and shoving, trying to be in before the other. Kai watched the crowd slowly shrink and disappear behind those doors. He stood once the crowd was tiny, looking up at the gargantuan structure before him. Never had he felt so intimidated by something so massive.

 _"Well...here I go..."_

Kai stalked towards the building. He wasn't aware of it, but once he opened those doors it was going to change his life...but not for the better...

* * *

 **And that's all for this improved version to the introduction of Despair's Shopping Center. As I've said, I was in a bit of a slump for many months. So my writing may not be as top-notch. It's been a while since I've written anything.**

 **But I do hope you all enjoy, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Toodles!**

 **\- Not-Your-Uber-Driver**


	7. Prologue I (NEW!)

**Hello again, everyone!**

 **Once again, I've returned from the abyss to bring you the official first part to the new and improved version of the prologue! As I said in the introduction, I decided to experiment with this a little. The introduction is largely the same, but I wanted to test out something new. I think it's best to let you go on ahead and read to see exactly what I mean.**

 **So let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors I:

 **GONG!**

 **GONG!**

 **GONG!**

Stirring in his sleep, Kai could faintly hear the chimes of an antique grandfather clock.

 _"Ugh...five more minutes, please..."_

 **GONG!**

 **GONG!**

 **GONG!**

The clock tolled once again, much louder and clearer as Kai slowly slipped back into consciousness.

 _"Ngh...why...? ...fine, I'll get up..."_

Kai's eyes struggled to open. He had never felt so heavy and tired in his life. Once he finally came to, he sat and blinked for a solid minute, letting his vision adjust to the dim lighting of the room around him.

 _"Where...am I?"_ He looked down at the wooden counter top he was slumped over. Its polished surface was coated in a thin layer of dust, and dotted with a few drops of drool. His beret rested to his left, next to an equally dusty cash register. He quickly brushed off the dust before putting it back on. He was seated in a swivel chair.

As Kai stood, his legs buckled beneath him. He would've fallen over if he didn't grab onto the counter for support. He stood there gripping onto the counter like his life depended on it. Once he finally regained his composure, he stepped out from behind the counter. Even through the dim light, provided by a single lightbulb, he could see everything in the room around him.

He was standing in what seemed to be pawn shop. Dozens of valuable objects surrounded him, on display in thick glass containers. The walls were a faded mahogany, and the plush carpet beneath his feet had seen much better days. Above him, a mounted ceiling fan spun in a near-hypnotizing circle.

 _"How did I get here?"_ Kai asked himself, unfortunately with no answer, as he shuffled around a display case holding an expensive vase. How he ended up here was a mystery he couldn't solve. Trying to remember only left him confused with no answer and a small headache.

While he didn't know how he got here, he did know one thing. He was probably trespassing.

 _"I...I should get going. I don't want any trouble."_

As he rounded another display case, Kai stopped dead in his tracks. His heart stopped beating and he went completely still at the sight. It was a body. A boy was laying face-down on the floor, his limbs sprawled in all directions, unmoving.

Kai stood there, wide-eyed as he looked at the sleeping body. Or, he looked like he was sleeping...

 _"Wait, is he..."_

Kai's skin paled, as he gingerly stuck his foot out and nudged their side. At first, there was silence, making Kai's skin clammy.

"...ugh..." But then came a low groan. Kai held his shaking hands to his chest, washed over with relief.

The boy let out a long and loud yawn, shaking his head slowly as he began picking himself off the ground. "You guys keep the camera rolling?"

 _"Wait, camera?''_ Kai squinted as the looked back at the boy. Something about him did seem very familiar. _"Hold on...haven't I seen you before?"_

"Guys?" The boy asked to people that weren't there, his back turned to Kai. "Are you pulling some kind of prank on me? Well you aren't being funny. Come on, where are you guys hiding?"

 _"You...you're from that news crew..."_

Kai knew he would regret this, but he still reached out and tapped the boy on the shoulder. The boy snapped around almost instantly, making the young mime artist jump. "Aha! There you are Shauna-" He started, but stopped himself with a puzzled look. "Wait a minute, you're not Shauna."

Kai blinked.

The boy shook his head, then stuck out his hand. "Nope! Definitely not Shauna O' Neil! But hey, nice to meet ya anyway!"

Kai was hesitant to shake the boy's now offered hand. It wasn't unfounded, though, because once they're hands connected the boy shook it vigorously. Kai was convinced his arm might have popped off if the handshake lasted any longer.

"The name's Kenji Yonezawa, SHSL Journalist! There's no inside scoop that gets past me!" Kenji boasted, hands on his hips.

* * *

 **Kenji Yonezawa**

 **Super High School Level Journalist**

* * *

Kenji stood around Kai's height, but with a more stockier build compared to Kai's leaner physique. His bright, peach-colored skin radiated an overwhelming amount of energy, completed with dimples and a small, rounded nose. Dark baby blue eyes glittered behind a pair of square-framed glasses. His chocolate brown hair was a bit of a mess, but covered up two pointy, elf-like ears.

He wore a burgundy sweater vest, with a small breast pocket that held several, multicolored ink pens. Over that he wore a rather large, cream-colored jacket that reached down to his ankles. He also wore dark blue jeans and a pair of steel-toed boots with dried mud stains on the sides. He had an bright blue pen tucked behind his ear.

Kai nodded slowly, looking at Kenji from head to toe. Then there was a long, awkward pause between the two.

Kenji cleared his throat. "Um...I think this is the part where you introduce yourself..."

 _"Oh dear, Kai..."_ Kai bit his lip. _"That's...gonna be a bit of an issue, you know."_

Kenji raised a brow. "Hey, is something the matter?"

Kai noticed the journalist was holding a notepod. Silently he pointed towards it.

"Oh, not much of a talker? That's fine, I totally get it!" Kenji smiled, catching onto Kai's message as he handed him the notepad and an ink pen. Kai mentally chalked up a victory as he got to work writing an introduction. Once he was done, he handed the notepad back.

"I'm afraid I can't speak to you, so I hope this will be enough. My name is Kai Shiguro, nice to meet you."

"Talent?" Kenji asked, tapping the pen to his chin.

Kai scratched his cheek. He had definitely been labeled the "Super High School Level Mime Artist" by many audience members before, but he wasn't one. Not just because he wasn't scouted by Hope's Peak, but also because he didn't think he was good enough to have a title like that. He was alright, but definitely far from being the best.

Kai shook his head.

"You don't have a SHSL Talent?" Kenji handed the notepad again. In turn, Kai wrote down a response and flipped it over for Kenji to read.

"People call me the "Super High School Level Mime Artist," but I don't think that it would apply. I've never been scouted by Hope's Peak."

"Hm..." Kenji scratched his chin. "Well, I'll go ahead and call you that, too! I'm sure you're fit to have that title handed to you!"

* * *

 **Kai Shiguro**

 **Super High School Level Mime Artist**

* * *

Kai shrugged. _"That's fine, I guess."_

He went to return the notepad, but Kenji held up a hand. "You can keep it, Kai. Believe me, if we're gonna stick around..."

 _"Wait, we're staying together?"_

"...it would only make sense for you to keep that on you. You're gonna need a way to communicate, after all!"

 _"Wait, am I going to keep talking to you?"_

"Besides, I can always pick up another notebook. Or I could just use my hand. Nothing is going to stop me from getting all the juicy details about Hope's Peak Shopping Center!" Kenji grinned, pumping a fist in the air.

 _"Oh boy..."_

Kai wanted to leave. All of Kenji's enthusiasm was overwhelming him. He turned around slowly as Kenji continued to ramble about...whatever it was he was talking about. He made it halfway to the door when Kenji piped up behind him.

"Oh yeah! Best get out of this dingy shop so we can get this show on the road!"

 _"What's this 'we?' I'm going home. Alone. I didn't even want to be here, especially when I wake up possibly trespessing and-"_ Kai walked up to the door and reached for the brass knob.

It didn't budge.

 _"Huh?"_

Kai turned the doorknob again. Nothing.

He turned it in the other direction. Still nothing.

"Huh." Kenji ushered Kai aside and gave it a try. He frowned. "This is a problem, isn't it? No worry, I know a quick and easy solution." He took a few steps back and started to stretch his legs.

 _"Wait, what are you doing?"_ Kai looked at Kenji, mildly concerned.

Kenji seemed to read Kai's mind, and gave a quick thumbs up. "When life throws a locked door in front of you, sometimes you just gotta break it down!"

Kai's eyes widened. _"Are you crazy?! That's blatant property damage!"_

"Alright, on the count of three..." Kenji rolled up his sleeves, getting into a running stance. "Three...two...one-"

 **DING DONG!**

 **DING DONG!**

A bell chimed. It was different from the grandfather clock that woke up Kai.

 _"Odd...wait that's not important."_

Kai looked over at Kenji. He fortunately stopped himself from charging down the door, and now stood looking around. "Where'd that even come from?"

 _"Thank goodness you didn't do something stupid..."_ He held a hand to his heart and silently thanked the sudden chime.

"Hey, Kai. Come look at this..." Kenji called out, now standing in front of a large, flat-screen monitor mounted on the far wall. Compared to everything else in this shop, this was very out of place. It wasn't even collecting dust. When did that get there?

 _"Was that always there?"_ Kai looked puzzled as he walked over to Kenji.

"It just sort of, turned itself on..." Kenji stared at the screen, which was now filled with static. Very faintly they could make out a silhouette, obscuring by the static haze but still visible. It didn't look human, but neither could tell for sure.

But then it started speaking.

 **"Ahem! Ahem! Testing! Testing! Hellooooooo, is this thing on?"**

A high-pitched distorted voice came from the speakers. Kai and Kenji looked at each other.

 **"Hellooooo? I asked you two idiots a question. Can you hear me or not?!"** The voice snapped.

Kenji brought his attention back to the monitor. "Hey, who are you calling an idiot?!"

 **"Good, good. You CAN hear me! Phew, glad to see the sound equipment is working properly! That would have been un-BEAR-able!"** The disembodied voice ignored Kenji completely.

 _"What is going on, right now?"_

"Hey, what's the big idea, here?" Kenji asked. "What's up with this shop being locked?"

 **"Oh, don't worry about that! We just needed to get a few things in working order from behind the scenes. We can't have our two protagonists walkin' about like they own the place, now can we?"**

Kai's ears perked up. _"Protagonists? What?"_

Kenji, on the other hand, paid no mind to that. "Well, you better hurry it up and let us out! I'm not afraid to break down that door back there..." He pointed to the shop door and pounded his fists together. "...if I have to! Nothing is going to stop me from getting an article about this place published! I've covered wars, you know!"

 **"Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses there, mister! There will be no property damage on MY watch!"** The voice argued. **"Jeez, this is the problem with modern day journalism, am I right?"**

Kenji grit his teeth.

The voice let out a sigh. **"Fine. Lucky for you two you woke up at the right time, because we've finally got the place properly prepared. Just give me a second to unlock the door..."**

An audible click came from behind the two.

"Sweet!" Kenji pumped his fists. "I'm hella fired up!"

 **"Listen well, kid. If you EVER threaten me with property damage again, I'll rip your Atua-damn throat out."** The voice let out an animalistic growl. **"I did not set everything up just to have entitled brats like you try and break it down. You hear me?! I'll be watching you closely."**

Before Kenji could respond, the voice cut out. The static faded from the screen as the monitor shut down.

Kai sat silently, taking a breather to process everything that voice had just said.

 _"Setting things up? What does that have to do with us being here? And death threats toward Kenji? Something is not right here..."_

"Yikes. What's his problem?" Kenji sighed.

Kai looked at Kenji with the most baffled expression possible. _"What do you mean HIS problem?!"_

The journalist looked back at him, and let out a shrug. "Alright, I guess I got a little extreme."

 _"A little?!"_

"Still, death threats. Totally unnecessary. Whatever, it's all in the past." Kenji shook his head and marched toward the door. "You coming?"

Kai nodded.

"Great, let's get a move on." Kenji smiled and gave a quick thumbs up.

Kai returned the gesture, but as the two made their way towards the door, he couldn't help but things were not okay. He was afraid, not just because something was wrong, but because he feared Kenji wasn't aware just how wrong things were getting...

* * *

 **So, there you have it, part one to the prologue is finally here! I really hope you enjoy the little experimentation I did with this!**

 **Not sure what else to say, so I'll respond to the reviews you guys left on the official revival of this story. Let me know if you want me to do this more in future updates. :P**

 **Shyjoker:** owo

 **OnlyTruePotterHead and TheRoseShadow21:** Thank you! I hope that you guys stick around to see what's in store!

 **Prince PokePersona:** Yes, long time no see indeed, haha. Believe me, I really did not want this story to be discontinued like my last failed attempt at an SYOC. Call me a bit crazy, but I think it might have been because of an update to Ultimate Despair Ship and Salty Waves and Bloody Coral that finally told me to get to work. But thank you, and I hope you are well in these crazy times.

 **Constant-Daze** : Thank you! I think one of the biggest issues that I had with the original version was that Kai lacked much of a personality in the intro. I may have given him a little bit to work off of during the prologue, but I felt like he needed to have a bit of a better first impression. Especially if he's the protagonist here. So I'm glad that I succeeded in establishing his personality a bit better in the introduction. :)

 **Alright, with all that said, I need to get some sleep. It's practically a new day by the time I've finished writing this. Thank you guys for managing to stick around with me this whole time, even during a long hiatus, and I hope you all stay safe in these times.**

 **This has been Not-Your-Uber-Driver, over and out.**


	8. Prologue II (NEW!)

**It is I!**

 **Once again, I've returned to update Despair's Shopping Center with the second part of the prologue! And naturally, that means we'll be making some introductions to potential future victims and murderers, mwahahaha! Now, one thing I want to mention is that the order of introductions may be a bit _different_ compared to the older version of this story. **

**In addition, I'll be experimenting a little with this chapter. Namely, there will be a few moments here and there where the story follows the P.O.V. of another character other than our protagonist, Kai. I've definitely done it in the older version of this story, but I've decided to take the opportunity to expand on this concept more now in this rewritten version.**

 **With that said, I'll go ahead and stop typing here so you can get on to reading. There'll be some more Author's Notes at the end of the chapter so make sure to read those, as well.**

* * *

 **Prologue - Despair Behind Closed Doors II:**

* * *

"Silence. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a common bookstore."

A young woman walked down an empty aisle, gazing at the dozens of books lining the sturdy, wooden shelves on her right. "Shoppers would usually keep their voices down, so those who loved to read could enjoy their stories in peace, with no distractions..." She paused when she came across a personal favorite novel resting on the top shelve. She reached for it, but lowered her hand and decided against it. She would come back for it later.

"The gorgeous female detective, **Emica Ogasawara** herself, mysteriously woke up in this shop uncomfortably tied to a chair. After freeing herself from her bounds, she began to search the area for any signs of eager book fanatics but to no avail."

She stopped at the center of the shop. "Logically, I've come to the conclusion that this place is entirely deserted-"

From a few aisles away, she could hear a soft groan.

"... _almost_ entirely deserted."

Emica rounded the corner to find a young man secured tightly to a wooden chair, his arms tied tightly behind his back. What struck her as odd about him, aside from his ridiculous costume, was that he didn't seem all too phased by his current condition. He simply stared at her, calm and collected.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Emica said as she approached the boy. "It seems like the beautiful detective has discovered what appears to be a cosplayer lost in the bookstore. Even more unfortunate is he has found himself in the same situation she had recently escaped from."

His brow furrowed. He tried to speak, but his mouth was sealed with a strip of duct tape, muffling his words.

"Hm? I didn't quite catch that?" Emica giggled as she reached for the tape, and with a quick yank ripped it clean off, earning a yelp from him.

"Ouch! Who are you to call me, the Phantom Kitsune himself, a mere cosplayer?" He pouted, playfully.

Emica's lips curled into a grin, but it didn't last long once she processed what he had said. "Wait a minute, did you say the 'Phantom Kistune?'"

"Yes!" He nodded.

Emica's grin returned as she cupped her chin. "Well, I guess that _would_ explain the ridiculous costume, hm?"

"R-Ridiculous?!" The boy's face lit up and his expression soured. "I-I'll have you know that this is my Sunday best!"

She laughed a little, clearly having fun with this exchange. She leaned forward a little, arms behind her back. "So, if you're the Phantom Kitsune, that means you must be **Noritaka Fukuyo** , yes?"

Noritaka's flustered expression vanished and once again he looked as calm as ever, even a little cocky. "Just know how privileged you should be feeling right now, to be standing in the shadow of the Super High School Level Thief himself. Yes, I am Noritaka Fukuyo, but I am probably better known as, drumroll please, the Phantom Kitsune!"

"..."

"..."

"...I'd...uh...do a little pose, but I'm a bit...strung up at the moment..."

* * *

 **Noritaka Fukuyo**

 **Super High School Level Thief**

* * *

Although he was currently sitting, Emica could tell that Noritaka was around the same height as her. He was slender, yet had a fair amount of muscle ton to his physique. And while she knew for a fact that he was trouble beyond a doubt, he was ridiculously cute. His light, peach-colored skin was complimented heavily with a rounded face and dimples on his cheeks. Sharp, emerald eyes glinted mischievously behind an eye mask. Light blue hair was well kept, with most pulled back into a ponytail.

For his supposed "Sunday best", Nori's outfit was a lot to take in. He wore a violet, short-sleeved shirt over a red vest. Over both he had on a dark purple waist coat, with elbow-length sleeves. The ends of the coat dropped to his ankles. Lavender jeans were held up with a brown, leather belt and fuschia-colored boots were secured to his feet with silver buckles. And true to his namesake as the Phantom Kitsune, two furry, fox-like ears poked through his hair. There was also a satchel slung over his shoulder. A long, grand cape completed the outfit, which draped over the back of the chair and was bunched up in the floor.

"I see." Emica scratched her cheek, peering into the distance. "The young detective now knew that the person in front of her was the nefarious Phantom Kitsune. Despite his infamous reputation, she couldn't help but feel fascinated in what felt like a one-in-a-lifetime encounter with one of the greatest thieves in history."

"Yes, yes, you flatter me all too well, nee hee hee!" Noritaka snickered. "Now, if I may, what would your name be?"

Emica snapped back into focus. "Hm...the young boy asked me for my name..." She started. "I just did as he asked, no reason to deny him...I am Emica Ogasawara. You may call me the Super High School Level Police Dick."

Noritaka snorted. "SHSL Police Dick?" He looked ready to burst out laughing at any moment.

"Well, I am officially called the SHSL Police Detective. I prefer SHSL Police Dick, however. Has more of a...Sherlock-style feel to it, you know?"

* * *

 **Emica Ogasawara**

 **Super High School Level Police Detective**

* * *

Noritaka could see that Emica was a rather attractive woman. She had a fair skin tone that was dotted heavily with freckles. Her eyes were bright blue, shining bright like diamonds in the light and contrasting with the scarlet hair that reached past her shoulders. Noritaka could also note that she possessed a rather large...bosom. Not that he was staring, of course! Yeah, he definitely wasn't staring. He just caught a glimpse, is all! Moving on...

Emica wore a black, tight button-up dress that stopped just above her knees. The dress had bright red buttons and sleeves, as well as a breast pocket that held a magnifying glass. To add onto the black attire, she wore black high heels and a pair of black leather gloves. The fingertips of the gloves were lightly covered in a white powder. A black bracelet was around her right wrist. Both of her ears were pierced as well, with two small, teardrop shaped earrings that were also black. So much black, am I right?

"...Oh wow, I've had the honour of encountering loooads of cops, but never one with the title of…pfff…SHSL Police Dick." Nori chuckled, unable to hold in his laughter. "Ahh. Well, Miss Dick, you think you'll have me locked up behind bars that easily?"

Emica shrugged. "Well, it shouldn't be that hard. I did find the untouchable Phantom Kitsune tied up right in front of me, haven't I? All there's left to you is carry you right to jail, hm?"

Noritaka didn't seem concerned. In fact, he looked more proud than anything. "Ah, here's the thing. I would love to stay and chat, you see..."

And then he stood up, the ropes falling to the floor at his feet.

"...but I've got to go before you get too handsy. Toodles!"

"Wait, huh-?"

Before Emica could react, several small pellets hit the ground and exploded into thick clouds of smoke. She was left disoriented and confused, thrown into a coughing fit as the smokescreen surrounded her, blocking out her vision. She tried her hardest to fan away the haze, but it was something easier said than done.

Eventually, the smoke did clear, but when it did Noritaka had vanished. Emica was, once again, alone.

"Hmph." She pouted, crossing her arms. "Looks like I've made an error, underestimating the Phantom Kitsune. They're quite the slippery character, but this will be the one and only time they manage to outwit me. For now, I will bide my time and search for a way out of here..."

She heard a soft click from across the room. Investigating it, she found the doors to the shop unlocked.

"Bingo."

* * *

"Wow, Hope's Peak Shopping Center..." Kenji clapped his hands together excitedly. "A shopping district that looks as magnificent as the prestigous high school funding it! I'm all ready to get an article written about this place, and we haven't even seen everything!"

Kai rolled his eyes. He really wanted to get away from his impromptu traveling compansion. He wasn't one to judge, but Kenji's enthusiasm was starting to make him frustrating to listen to.

 _"He's just going to follow you if you walk away, idiot. Besides, you don't even know where the exit is, even if you did try and get away."_

His only solution was just to drown out the journalist with his thoughts. And to be fair, he found it more bearable to hear himself think than Kenji ramble on and on about all the Hope's Peak students that were coming to attend the grand opening.

But that begs the question.

 _"Where is everyone?"_

Walking down a large, straight corridor with Kenji, he expected there to be shoppers everywhere. After all, there was a sea of people attending the grand opening. It'd only make sense for the hallways to be crowded. Which is why it confused him when they exited the pawn shop and found the corridors completely empty.

He thought back to the voice from the pawn shop.

 _"We just needed to get a few things in working order from behind the scenes."_

 _"What does that even mean? Does it have something to do with...everything going on right now? Ugh...I don't know..."_ He was getting frustrated. Not just because he didn't have any answers to his questions, but also because Kenji seemed blissfully unaware of how things were not what they seemed.

"Hey, Kai?"

 _"..."_

"Hellooooo? Earth to Kai?"

Kai snapped out of his thoughts to Kenji waving his hand in front of his face. They had stopped in front of a sporting goods store.

"Hey man, you looked lost in space for a moment there. Everything okay?"

 _"No, everything is far from okay."_

Kai looked down at the notepad Kenji had given him.

"Am I the only one here who's even mildly worried? We wake up locked in a pawn shop, some disembodied voice talks to us like this is some kind of game, and there is no one else here. You, especially, should know that there was a crowd of hundreds at the grand opening. That many people do not just disappear naturally."

Kenji raised a brow once he was finished reading. "You're really that worried, huh?"

Kai nodded furiously.

"Look, I know that is a little strange..." Kenji paused, running his hands through his hair. "Okay, yes. It definitely is strange, but we can't just stand around and ask questions we don't have answers to. Believe me, I do want to know what's going on here, too."

"It doesn't really seem like you are." Kai grimaced.

Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I know I'm not vocal about my suspicions. I'm just...really hyped up about finally being able to walk these halls and see the marvel of...all of this. Trust me, I'm worried too, but there's not much we can do until we find something or some _one_ that could give us any clues on our situation. Okay?"

The mime artist paused. He tried to come up with an argument, but found nothing.

"I guess you have a point." He finally admitted after an awkwardly long silence between the two.

Kenji's expression softened. "Thank you. Come on, there's gotta be someone here that could give us a little help..."

 **THUD!**

Suddenly, as if on cue, the door behind them budged, knocking against the door frame. Kenji let out a girlish screech, nearly leaping out of his skin with a start as someone appeared on the other side of the glass door.

"H-Hello?" The boy called out, clearly in a panic. He calmed a little when he saw Kai and Kenji. "Ah! H-Hey! Can you help a guy out, please?"

"What happened to you, how'd you get in there?" Kenji asked.

 _"I think it's pretty clear what happened to him..."_ Kai crossed his arms.

"I-I don't know! I woke up in here not too long ago, but when I tried to leave the door was locked. I don't want to break the glass, though! You shouldn't either! Just please help me out! Please?" The boy stammered, distressed.

Kenji looked over to Kai, clueless and scratching his neck. "I don't know what to do. There's an electronic lock, and neither of us have a key card to unlock it. The only other option I got is breaking the glass, but-"

 **"You sure as hell better not!"** A familiar voice snapped.

"Uwah?!" Kenji jumped, looking around for the source.

"Huh?" Shun turned around.

Kai perked up, and there he saw it. A monitor, similar to the one in the pawn shop, had turned on. It was still filled with static, obscuring the same silhouette he and Kenji had seen before.

 **"You really don't seem to listen well, do you?"** The mysterious figure grunted. **"If you really want to let this kid out, all you have to do is ask, you know!"**

"Well, can we have this door unlocked?" Kenji asked slowly after a brief pause.

 **"I don't know. CAN** **you?"**

" _May_ we have this door unlocked?" He corrected himself, gritting his teeth.

 **"Absolutely! Just let me find the button, and..."** The door clicked. **"...open says me!"**

The door opened.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The boy came out and energetically began shaking Kenji's hand.

 **"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"**

"Huh?"

 **"I let you out, so what I believe you should be thanking me."**

"Thank you?" The boy looked puzzled.

 **"You're welcome!"**

"Wait, no, that's not what I meant-"

But it was too late. The voice had stopped talking and the monitor turned off.

 _"Okay, can someone please tell me what's going on?!"_

"Who...was that?"

"No clue..." Kenji responded. "Whoever it is, they really don't like me..."

Kai looked over at him. "Probably for good reason."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" The journalist raised a brow, glaring daggers.

"H-Hey now, let's not get too heated!" The boy quickly put himself between the two. "Come on, how about we make introductions?"

Kenji held his glare for a few more seconds, before dropping it and putting on a smile. "Name's Kenji Yonezawa. The Ultimate Journalist, at your service!"

The new face grinned. "I'm **Shun Tetsudai**! I'm the libero for my high school team! Oh, and the SHSL Libero, cuz, that's might be relevant to our situation."

* * *

 **Shun Tetsudai**

 **Super High School Level Libero**

* * *

Shun was noticeably shorter than Kai, but made up for it for having a light muscular build. Though with his short stature and rounded face, he looked more like a child than a high school student with a title of SHSL Libero. His lightly tanned complexion matched two bright orange eyes. His short, brown hair had faint blue streaks, and was styled in a ducktail fashion.

He wore a plain, white t-shirt above a black long-sleeved undershirt. Blue and orange arrows crossed over each other across the shirt. He also had on a pair of black, athletic shorts over matching sports tights and orange running sneakers. There were also a few bandages around his fingers, and a single one across his nose.

"No way..." Kenji's eyes widened. "You can't be serious right now. I'm talking to THE Shun Tetsudai, the SHSL Libero himself! Oh, you have no idea how much I've been wanting to meet the greatest volleyball player in all of Japan!" He was glowing, beaming like a child in a candy shop.

"Ah...haha..." Shun scratched his cheek, glowing bright pink. "Thank you for the compliments, dude! It means a lot..."

"You've got to let me have an interview later! There's so much that I want to ask you!" Kenji was visibly gushing.

"Oh! Of course! I'd be down to answer some of your questions later, if that's fine?" The volleyball star's flush deepened.

"Yes! Absolutely! That's A-OK with me!" The journalist looked ready to explode with excitement. It made Kai a bit uneasy.

"Oh!" He turned to face Shun, holding his hand out. "Nice to meet you, mister...uh..."

"Kai Shiguro. No talent." Kai wrote down.

"No talent?" Shun looks surprised. "You look the part of one, though!"

"He told me he hasn't been scouted by Hope's Peak." Kenji interrupted. "But he said that people have called him the SHSL Mime Artist, so I'm going to call him that as well."

"Oh? Well I'll go ahead and do that, too!" Shun smiled. "I'm sure that Hope's Peak would accept you into their school! Believe me, I'm positive you have the talent to make it!"

Kai gulped, his pale face lighting up a bit. He needed to change the subject. "Anyway, we need to get a move on, right?"

His question wiped the smile from Kenji's face. "Oh. Right. We still don't know why we're here, huh? Is that what you mean?"

Kai nodded.

"Urgh." He groaned, tugging at his collar. "We really should get to that, huh?"

"D'you need any help?" Shun asked. "I think I could help you guys out! Mostly dodging, receiving, avoiding bullies, not faceplanting, not bumping into people, choosing the right types of bandaids…" Shun rambled on, counting more miscellaneous skills on his bandaged fingers. "I mean, that's what friends do! We are friends, right? Right?... 'Course we are! ...Right?"

"Yeah, of course!" Kenji grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Come on, let's get a move on!"

* * *

 **"Upupupupu..."** Came a low, ominous giggle.

A small figure sat at an office desk, watching dozens of small screens with a keen eye.

 **"Everything's coming along VERY nicely."** They commented, reaching into a small cooler. They pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured a glass of the bubbly beverage. **"And so far, no property damage OR casualities! Man, I'd hate to BEAR a loss on my hands before the game's even begun!"**

After a celebratory spin in their chair, the shadowy figure turned back to the cameras. They watched silently as Kai, Kenji and Shun disappeared from one screen and reappeared on another. From the looks of things, they were moving toward the food court.

On another screen, Noritaka could be seen sneaking in the shadows around a jewelry shop. A few cameras over, they spotted Emica sleuthing about, collecting clues about her capture, all while talking to herself.

 **"Hm..."**

He sat his wine glass by the panel in front of him, eyeing the many cameras. He looked into shops that still had sleeping occupants, before letting out another sinister giggle. He reached out and pressed a few buttons. Then came the audible clicking as many doors began to unlock across the shopping center.

 **"Upupupupu...it's time to get this party started..."**

* * *

 **I don't have much to say here, but I hope you enjoy this new take on the Prologue so far. I'd say more, or respond to some of the reviews from the previous chapter but I'm confined to a phone right now.**

 **Hope you all have a good night, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Bye!**


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